Of Successors and Certainties
by Valant
Summary: With life returning to normal for the Malfoys once more after the Second Wizarding War, Narcissa is pregnant for the second time in her life. Sequel to "Of Heirs and Possibilites," prior reading not necessary.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**: I finally decided to continue with this idea. I don't know how long I'll go on with it, but it's certainly a lot of fun. Please enjoy!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the characters/series/etc, they belong to JKR.

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><p>Narcissa sighed as she sat back down on the edge of the bed. The sun had not yet risen but she doubted she'd be getting any more sleep, making this yet another encore of the past two days she'd been awakened by her morning sickness. Each time she closed her eyes, intent on falling asleep at last, she found her mind flooded by her own thoughts of the radically changed future she would be subjecting herself and her family to, and whether that future was really the one that was best for all of them…<p>

"Cissa, is everything all right…?" Lucius muttered, sleep still heavy in his voice.

Narcissa gave a small, startled gasp. She hadn't at all expected him to be awake, not at this hour.

"H-how long have you been up?" she questioned, hoping it hadn't been thanks to her that his rest was interrupted.

"About since the time I heard you retching, I suppose" he admitted, a faint smile beginning to form on his lips. "To be quite honest, I-"

"I'm sorry, Lucius." Narcissa lowered her eyes, no longer wanting to meet his gaze. "I really did hope you wouldn't have to deal with all of this again…"

Lucius's smile faded just as quickly as it had appeared. He found that he no longer had the heart to tell her she had woken him the past few nights as well, having refrained from coming to her side only to save her the embarrassment he was sure that would have caused her. Still, even he could see that it wasn't the morning sickness or his having heard her that she was upset about. It simply wasn't in Narcissa's nature to be so upset over something so trivial, something so beyond her control.

"Cissa…" He sat up, and lightly touched a hand to her shoulder, his concern apparent. "What's troubling you so? Tell me truthfully."

She spent a moment in silence, collecting her thoughts and considering carefully her words. "It's hard for me, Lucius. It's been over two weeks now, and I still haven't spoken a word to Draco… He should have been the first to know; my pregnancy will effect his life just as much as ours! I don't even know how to even approach the subject… It's not something you can say in a letter, but don't want to just pull him out of school to tell him, either, not when I don't know how he's going to react… Oh, Lucius, the more I put it off the more I wonder if this is what's best for all of us… Maybe I was wrong, I keep thinking, maybe I didn't want this like I thought I did after all…"

He listened patiently until she finished and told her softly, "Narcissa, I wish I could understand how you could go from being so thrilled to…well,_ this_, in just a matter of days."

"Oh I know it's just these… These bastard hormones, but I-"

"You must know you're not alone in all of this, yes? Your children _do_ have a father, after all." He moved closer to her, allowing his hands to find their way to hers. "Just think, it won't be long at all before Draco is home for the holidays. We'll have plenty of time to tell him he's to be an elder brother then."

A look of uncertainty passed over Narcissa's face at the suggestion, but Lucius continued.

"As for whether or not you having this child is for the best, well… I can say with the utmost certainty that it's what's best for me, at any rate. Seventeen years ago I was absent for so much of the first year of Draco's life… Every time I remember that never again will there be days, or even weeks that I can't safely return to you from the battlefield…Well, I can honestly say that I haven't been so excited for something in quite awhile. This is what you've been wanting for years now, Narcissa, and I'm positive that what you're feeling will pass just as quickly as it came."

Narcissa took a moment to wipe a the tears from her eyes that had begun to form through Lucius's speech.

"You're right," she said. "You're right about all of it. Like I said, it's just these-"

"Bastard hormones. I know." His smile found its way back to him as he recalled the first time his wife was with child and how very similar the experience was for him then as now. "From what I can recall, it was the hardest for you in the first few months the last time, too."

At last, Narcissa met his eyes once more, a faint smile starting to form on her lips as well. She hadn't expected him to remember something like that, not when he had had so many other important things on his mind at the time. "Yes, I remember that clearly."

"Then you also remember how happy you were, far more often than not, to be becoming a mother, no?"

"…I do, very much so," she said, her small smile quickly transforming into a grin.

"That's exactly how you'll again, feel in these coming weeks and months, I'm almost certain of it."

He sounded so sure of himself in this that Narcissa would have been hard pressed not to take his statement as anything but fact. "…Thank you, Lucius. For talking to me like this, and for helping me get through these rougher spots… I doubt that anybody else could cheer me up as you do."

"I'm just glad I can finally be here for you when you need me. Now please, try to get some more sleep; you and I both know you need it now more than ever," With but a shadow of reluctance, she removed her hands from his and laid down next to him. He may have been correct, but she certainly wouldn't have minded staying up to talk with him longer. "If there are any other doubts in your mind when you wake up, I'd be happy to listen. As much as I'd like to, if I tried that now, I may well end up very rudely falling asleep in front of you," he explained, stifling a yawn.

"I'll hold you to that," she told him with a laugh. "Goodnight, Lucius."

"Goodnight, Cissa." Before falling asleep with her, he leaned over her and, much to her surprise, kissed her.

Narcissa struggled against him when his lips first touched her own. Had he so quickly forgotten that not thirty minutes prior she had been in the restroom vomiting? Still, as he persisted, Narcissa acquiesced and allowed it, in spite of how very vile she imagined it must have been for him.

"I know what you're going to say," he said immediately as he parted from her, "and I can't say that I much care."

Narcissa rolled her eyes, not much caring to let it show how pleased these words had made her. "Good_night_, Lucius."

When Narcissa awoke for the second time that day, she felt nothing but well-rested, for the first time in days. She sat up and stretched, and looked over to her right; her husband's side of the bed. Noting his absence, she glanced at the clock that hung on the wall, and was not at all surprised to see that she'd slept quite a few more hours than she ordinarily would have liked. She ran a hand through her hair, her brunette locks intertwining with the blonde. She recalled the words Lucius had spoken to her in the hours prior, and she couldn't help but grin. For the time, at least, she couldn't have felt better. She was happy.

She heard the bedroom door creak slowly open, and turned, a bit sleepily, still, to see Lucius at the doorway. "'Morning, love," he said softly. "I was just coming to see if you might be up."

"Mmhhmm."

"You received a letter this morning, from Andromeda. I didn't open it." He entered the room and sat near her on the edge of the bed, and handed the envelope to her.

When she had written to her sister just yesterday morning to share the news that she was pregnant, and hadn't exactly expected a reply, not after everything that had happened to the older woman in the war. She quickly opened the envelope, eager to read her sister's words.

_ Dear Narcissa,_

_ Congratulations! I hope you'll believe me when I say I couldn't be happier for you - though I must admit, the announcement certainly came as a surprise! I'm glad to hear your husband is taking it well; I'm sure Draco will as well once you tell him. If I were you, I'd simply tell him straight, as soon as you see him next; there's no need to try and prepare anything or to estimate his reaction. You know as well as I he won't like what he hears at first, but he'll come to accept it and love you all the same. _

_ I just wish you hadn't felt that your good news would hurt, or offend me after all that's happened. In fact, I have to tell you, Cissy, that when I first read your letter I felt not anger or sorrow but instead hopeful that perhaps young Theodore might have a friend his own age to grow up with - that is, if you and your husband would allow it…_

_ Again, congratulations and best of luck to you! Please remember I'll always be here for you if I can help at any point along the way, or if you just want to talk. I too know how stressful all of this can be, after all! _

_ All my love,_

_ Andromeda_

She read the letter aloud to Lucius after reading it once to herself.

"I'm glad she's so supportive, even after… Well, everything," he said.

"What do you think about what she said, Lucius? About little Teddy Lupin, I mean."

"I think… As the current patriarch of the Malfoy family and as a pureblood, I want to shun the idea completely. But as a father and as your husband… I don't think it would be bad at all for our child," he admitted plainly.

"I can certainly understand that… I do want my baby to have every privilege that comes with being a Malfoy, but in this changing world we live in… Well, we've got plenty of time, I suppose, haven't we?" Her eyes were bright when she spoke, still plenty ecstatic about her sister's positive reaction. She felt she was in no position nor had any desire to make such major decisions so very suddenly.

"Y-yes, of course we do…" It wasn't every day he saw her in such a pleasant mood, and he certainly didn't wish to ruin it by saying the wrong thing regarding their son or daughter's future as a pureblood as he knew he inevitably would.

"Lucius," she said, her smile as bright as her eyes. "Let's not even think of it now. We'll make the best choice, whatever it may be. I know we will."

It made him smile as well to see her so positive, particularly after her experience with the opposite emotions the night before. He nodded. "I wholeheartedly agree."

Narcissa put the letter back in its envelope and placed it on the nightstand near her bed. She would take Andromeda's advice as well as Lucius's: they would tell Draco when he arrived home for Christmas, and refuse to worry about the rest until then. All of her past worries, she was certain, would turn out for the better. And how could they not? They were, Malfoys, after all. They were a family.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**: I decided in the end that it was worth it to edit this chapter a bit: I'm obsessed with keeping this story consistent, and I realized that it would be very worth it to change that just a bit by setting it one month back. While small, I intend for that to create a better, longer, and more complete story!

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><p>Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy waited anxiously at Platform 9 34 for the Hogwarts Express to pull in. Narcissa, clothed in a heavy, long white coat stood close to Lucius. Though it was still impossible to infer her condition by appearances alone, Narcissa self-consciously pulled the winter coat around her middle with every glance the pair received from other parents awaiting their children's arrival.

"Lucius, I'll need to make the announcement public just as soon as we tell Draco," she said in a whisper after determining no other witches or wizards were within earshot.

"In order to prevent any rumors from spreading, and so I don't feel so terribly…ill at ease, whenever we go out."

"A wise choice." A smirk formed on Lucius's face as he continued. "In fact, I've been dying to -"

He was interrupted by train's ear-piercing whistle slicing through the air. Narcissa immediately looked toward the entrance of the station, no longer paying him much attention at all. Dying to let the news slip in front of Arthur Weasley to take back to that ever-expanding family of his, he had wanted to say, but knew any trivial matters of his own would be lost on his wife entirely with her attention focused on Draco's return home.

When the train came to a stop and the students began to file out, Lucius as well made an effort to spot Draco as soon as possible. The two of them watched what seemed to be all of Hogwarts, the two youngest Weasley children included, much to Lucius's annoyance, exit the Hogwarts Express before they laid eyes on their son, still with the pin identifying him as Head Boy attached to his robes. Narcissa caught his attention with a wave, and he quickly bid farewell to the younger students he had been speaking with to join his parents.

"Oh Draco, it's so good to see you!" Narcissa said, pulling him into a tight embrace.

"It's good to see you too, Mother; Father," he replied, nodding to each of them in turn.

"I can't wait to hear all about the latest happenings at Hogwarts…"

"Mother, I write to you at least once a week! Believe me, you've heard most of it already," Draco said with a small laugh.

"Nonsense. With you being Head Boy and all now, I'm sure you've got plenty more to share." She stretched to kiss his cheek, as Lucius concealed before the public the fond smile he wanted to give his beloved wife and son. Seeing the way his son had interacted with the other, younger students leaving the train was reason enough for him to believe he'd make a wonderful elder brother in the not so distant future; the thought alone was enough to please the man.

"So do you have anyone you'd like to say goodbye to for the holidays, or are you ready to go home?" Narcissa asked.

"No, I'm ready to leave. Are we to Apparate, or…?"

"Of course, now that you've mastered the skill," she said with a proud smile. "Let's be off."

With that, the trio Apparated from the station to the gates of Malfoy Manor, which turned to a fine grey mist as each Malfoy passed through them and over the snowy grounds into the mansion.

"Draco..." Narcissa addressed him quietly once they had removed their winter outerwear. She had hardly said anything yet, but she was already beginning to regret it. "Wh-Why don't you go change out of your school robes and take those books and things to your bedroom? Then you can come down to the sitting room and we'll talk, alright?"

"Certainly," he affirmed. The change in Narcissa's demeanor did not go unnoticed by her son, though he couldn't place exactly what that change was, nor did he see a reason for it. She seemed off somehow, despite the enthusiasm she always had for his brief returns home from school, and rarely would she be so eager to talk with him about the goings-on of Hogwarts. It bothered him; he knew his parents had suffered in the war more than most, and he feared it could be very much related. He tried not to think about it as he ascended the stairs. After all, he decided, a brief change in manner from his mother could have been caused by a great many things, very few of which involved the past they continued to distance themselves from.

"Narcissa," Lucius said critically once Draco had left their presence, "You could've done it, you know."

She lowered her eyes, aware that his words were indeed the truth. "I'm sorry, Lucius. I know. And I will, just a soon as he gets back."

He shook his head at her apology. "I shouldn't be saying anything. You've got it much harder than I do. I suppose I'm just anxious, is all."

"Don't worry, I understand. It can't be much easier for you now either, after all, you've never had to have this sort of discussion with anyone, let alone your own son. Now why don't you go sit down and let me pour you a drink? Goodness knows it'll only help calm your nerves…"

In silence, he obeyed and watched as she filled a glass half full from the decanter kept near the sitting room mantle. He knew it was foolish, making an ordeal out of what should have done nothing but make them happy, but he truly could not stop himself. Not after everything the three of them - and only the three of them - had faced in the past year alone. That in itself would be something he and Narcissa could only share with Draco; something his second child would never be able to comprehend. Lucius sighed and accepted the drink when his wife took a seat next to him. The baby was still more than six months from being born and he was already finding ways to distance himself from it.

"Lucius," she said quietly, "try to-" She stopped abruptly when she heard Draco's approaching footsteps. Instead of continuing, she reached out and placed a gentle hand upon her husband's wrist, a gesture that to him was worth more than any words she could've said.

As Draco joined them, he noticed his parents sat more stiffly than they were usually apt to do in the comfort of their own home, and his suspicion that something was amiss was heightened.

"Draco," Narcissa said bravely, though not meeting his eyes, "before you say anything, your father and I… We have some news to share with you as well."

At this, Lucius felt her grip on his wrist tighten.

"By all means," he replied, his features an equal mix of curiosity and concern.

"I suppose I can't very well put this elegantly, so… Draco, I…" She raised her brown eyes to meet his grey ones. "I am with child."

For both of the elder Malfoys, in that one moment it felt as if the world had been temporarily lifted from their shoulders. At last, they'd gotten over with the very thing they'd been dreading for days.

"…What?" Draco was certain he hadn't heard her correctly. His mother had already given the Malfoy family its heir, and that heir was sitting right in front of her. Not to mention the problems of the woman being more than a decade past her prime years for bearing children, and the fact no Malfoy had fully recovered from the war that had ended not half a year prior.

"I'm pregnant, Draco," she said softly. "You'll be an elder brother by the autumn."

A feeling of plain incredulity came over him. Hearing that his mother was pregnant, of all things, was the last thing he had expected her to tell him.

"I… I don't know what I should say…" he mumbled, and found his gaze drifting to her midsection, as if seeing it would be the only way he'd be able to accept it.

"January marks the beginning of her second month," Lucius interjected. "It won't become noticeable for a little while now."

Embarrassed, Draco stood up from his chair, and moved to leave the room, but paused as he neared the doors. "H-how long have you known…?"

"…Since the start of the month," Narcissa admitted quietly.

It was still much too difficult for the boy to believe what he was hearing. A whole month, and not a single mention of it to him? He couldn't help but feel betrayed in a way, not only that they'd withheld something so important from him, but also that they had conceived in the first place. He felt inadequate, as if he had proved himself insufficient as the family's heir; as if they had felt they had no choice but to have another child because of his own shortcomings…

"Excuse me," he said, and quickly left the room.

They waited in silence, holding out some hope that he would come back, ready to speak to them about it. The clock continued to tick, and their wish did not come true.

"Cissa, don't for an instant think you did anything wrong," Lucius said with authority. "You knew his first reaction would not be a particularly positive one, just give him some time."

The hurt look that she wore in her silence was enough to make him experience the same pain he knew she must have been feeling. He set down his empty glass, and pulled her close to him, both of his arms tight around her. He placed kiss after kiss atop her head, whispering to her the same things that, deep down, she already knew - both he and Draco loved her unconditionally, that would never change, and all it would take was some time for her son to get used to the idea of being a brother. All the while, she never tried to speak a word to him, but allowed herself to be held close and accept every gesture of affection from her husband that he was willing to give as she held back the tears that had begun to form in her eyes.

"I'd like to go talk to him now, Cissy, if it's all right with you. I think perhaps this is one time that I can actually be there for him when he needs his father."

She nodded, and pulled away from him when he relaxed his hold on her. "Take as long as you need. I'll be here when you return, I'm sure."

"It'll be fine," Lucius reminded once more, and left her with one more soft kiss before leaving her on her own.

Two hard knocks sounded upon Draco's bedroom door. "Draco, open the door. I'd like to speak with you." Lucius heard his son's hesitant footsteps, and slowly, the door creaked open. "Ah… May I come in…?" he asked, in an awkward attempt at politeness. He couldn't even begin to remember the last time he attempted to talk to his son in such a manner. A sick feeling began to rise in Lucius's chest. He shouldn't have felt uncomfortable at all speaking to the boy who, despite his eighteen years, was in some ways still a child. Draco had, without a doubt, had similar feelings before and, Lucius realized, rarely, if ever, was he there for him when he could have used someone to talk to. Was he so hopeless, he wondered, that it would be the same for his next child as well…? He did his best to shake the thoughts from his mind when Draco wordlessly opened the door further for him. Lucius sat down at Draco's desk, and Draco upon his bed.

Several moments of uneasy silence passed between them.

"I'm not here to berate you, Draco. I came here to… Well, to help you, if I may. So please, ah… If you want to talk, go ahead."

"…" Draco felt just as unsure as his father. Part of him wanted to tell him everything he was feeling and ask him the things it would be impossible to ask his mother, while another wanted to tell him to save the "good father" act for his other child. Inside, Draco knew his parents both must have been feeling conflicted just as he was; that they probably didn't know how to handle it any better than he did, yet his anger at both his parents and himself got the better of him, childish as it may have been.

"Draco…?"

He took a deep breath and steeled himself, his questions and thoughts nearly bursting from his lips. If he didn't speak now, after all, there was no guarantee his father would make himself available for conversation again "I suppose what I'd like to know more than anything is… How long have the two of you been planning this?" Draco felt his cheeks flush, embarrassed at the very question.

"Planning…?" Lucius asked with genuine confusion in his voice. "You believe your mother's pregnancy was something we intended? Draco, that is certainly not the case, at least not on my part! What on earth lead you to that conclusion?" Draco being under the impression that he and Narcissa would deliberately conceive for a second time was not on the list of possible scenarios Lucius had envisioned, and it made him even less sure of how he ought to respond.

Draco turned to face his father, incredulous. "You mean to say it wasn't…? I had thought that… That maybe I'd proved myself to be an unsatisfactory heir, after everything, ever since my sixth year… I mean, that's certainly how I felt, no matter what Mother has said…" Once he had begun, he found it hard to stop himself from revealing his every concern and instead give Lucius a chance to respond.

"Draco, believe me when I say you've proved yourself to be everything your mother and I could want in the scion of this family and more. The thought of you being 'inept' or 'unsatisfactory' as my heir… It's positively absurd, as I know you're already aware. And I assure you, raising a baby is certainly not the way I planned, or even had any desire, to spend the next twenty years." Lucius offered the boy a small, awkward smile.

"A-and what about Mother, then…?"

"Narcissa, well… She's confided in me her desire for a larger family ever since you were very young. But, due to my being away on the battlefield so very often during your infancy among other complications, the chance for that passed her by fairly quickly, I'm afraid. Still, I can't imagine she would intend to conceive, not without discussing it with me, and certainly not after seeing how very worried she was in recent days about how you would react to the news. "

"She was worried about me… Other way around…" he muttered, looking anywhere but at his father.

"Is that what's upset you so? You're worried about her?"

"Not just Mother… I mean, I'm not the only one who still has nightmares, am I? Who still thinks about it every day, as if You Know Who could still come back at any moment?"

The root of Draco's troubles had made itself apparent.

"…No, you're most certainly not. It hasn't exactly been easy for either of us, your mother and I." He hated to recall the sleepless nights he and his wife had spent in the days following Voldemort's downfall, the nightmares that would still occasionally wake him in the dead of night, the way his memories of what had happened in Malfoy Manor could suddenly become all too vivid. The fact that Draco was suffering from these very same ailments... As a father, that was enough to hurt him even more than his own post-traumatic suffering.

"Are you both all right to bring a child into a world where its parents are still facing those kinds of demons? Years afterwards, I would understand, but mere months… I'm not saying I don't think she should go through with it, but just that it worries me, I guess."

"I understand your meaning perfectly." Lucius had, after all, shared very similar thoughts, even right up until he began talking to Draco. "And let me tell you, there are things the three of us have seen that this child will not be able to truly comprehend, and I hope with all my heart that it never will. In fact, I've been thinking very recently that perhaps your sibling, never to be so much as looked upon by the Dark Lord, will give us an even greater reason to leave those demons behind us, and I believe that's how Narcissa feels as well. Don't forget, you were the primary reason she and I were able to emerge from the first war and sever our ties with Voldemort as we did."

Draco remained silent in thought, turning over in his mind this new perspective his father presented.

"I won't lie, Draco, I'm thrilled to become a father again. No, it's not what I had wanted, but after your mother told me she was pregnant and in the days that followed, I recalled just how happy having you in our lives has made the two of us, and that's something I want to experience even more, both with you and our new charge. I promise - and this is one promise I think I'll be able to keep - that everything will turn out for the best, should you allow it."

Draco had no response. Everything the two of them had said and discussed, it was too much for the younger Malfoy to sort out all at once. Just like his parents, what he felt he needed was time. "Father, I appreciate this, but might I-"

"I'll let you be. I know you're not a child, but… Please speak to us should you find you have anything else to say on the matter," Lucius said as he stood up. Discomfited as he may have been having such a conversation, Lucius noticed that in helping Draco sort out his thoughts about his mother's condition, he himself left with a much clearer mind about it as well.

He reached the bedroom door and moved to leave, but stopped short when he heard Draco's voice once again.

"Father," he said quietly, "…On your left arm… It's still there, isn't it?"

A jolt ran through him. It had been weeks since he'd thought about the Dark Mark that still tarnished his pale skin. "I'll remind you that it's only grown fainter since he was killed, but yes, it is indeed still there."

"Don't you think it'll ask about it at some point…?" Draco whispered the question, his right hand covering his own offending mark.

It was something even Lucius had not considered. After speaking to Narcissa several times about it, he had become convinced that as Voldemort's presence continued to fade from their lives, the scars upon his and Draco's left arms, magical contracts of sorts that bound the two of them to the Dark Lord, would as well until they could no longer be seen. However, his eyes could not help but be drawn to it. He could still make out the skull and serpent without much difficulty. "No, I don't," he said at length. "Because by the time my child is born, I have every certainty that we'll no longer have these stains upon us." There was simply no way he could accept what he knew his son to be thinking; that those tattoos would become constant reminders of what they had done.

The question was on Draco's lips, whether or not he could truly believe they would just disappear after everything, but the rigidity his father's tone had taken in his reply kept him silent.

"Get some rest Draco; you just got home and I can see you could use it." The man shut the door behind him, louder than he may have intended, and proceeded to the sitting room where his wife awaited, Draco's unspoken question weighing on him more than it had a right to.

"How was he?" Narcissa asked immediately upon his arrival, her dark brown eyes wide.

"He'll be fine," he told her reassuringly. "Right now, he just needs some time to think through things - just like I said."

"Thank goodness… And thank you, Lucius, for talking to him. That was good of you."

"I'm glad I finally got the chance… To be quite honest, I think it helped me, in a way, as well."

His words were like an elixir to her; the more he told her the more she knew her worries and anxieties would soon disappear. Her dream of many years had come true, and now had the approval, at least, if not the support, of the two she loved the most. For now, that was everything she could possibly ask for. Narcissa smiled, and stood close in front of him. "I'm glad. I'm proud of you, too, and I'd very much like to kiss you for it, though I'm afraid you're just a bit tall for that."

Both her infectious grin, and the fact that for the first time in how many years things were going exactly as he wished, it was enough to distract him for the moment, from his thoughts of his Dark Mark. "Allow me," he told her, and softly touched his lips to hers, placing a hand on her waist to keep her close by.

"I suppose this means our only concern for the moment is making the news public, then… But don't worry, that's something I can take care of myself."

"Our only concern…" he muttered to himself.

"Hm?" A questioning glance.

"Nothing, Cissa," he said with a shake of his head. "Nothing at all."


	3. Chapter 3

Narcissa's announcement had appeared in all of the society pages by Christmas Eve. 'Mrs. Malfoy, Soon to be Mother of Two! Rita Skeeter Speculates' proclaimed one article, while another's title read 'Malfoy to be Mum Once More'.

She sat at the dining room table, still in her nightgown, glancing over what had been written about her, her husband giving the articles a more critical glance when she was through with them.

"I must say, Lucius, I never thought I would be considered newsworthy again, not since… You know." She didn't want to mention the last time she made the newspapers, when they had proclaimed she and her family had quite officially fallen from grace with Lucius's sentence to Azkaban.

"Well, you _are_ a savior of the Wizarding world now; it's only natural you remain in the public eye so soon afterwards."

Narcissa smirked. Was that a hint of envy she detected in his voice? "I'm sure it'll be over by this time next week, if not sooner. Or at least, I can hope so."

"Regardless, at least it's positive this-" Lucius stopped abruptly, his attention caught by a piece of the article he was reading. "Narcissa, have you read what that Skeeter woman has written about you?"

"Not in detail, why?"

He cleared his throat and began reading. "'Is it all a sad attempt to keep together a broken marriage? Or perhaps Malfoy Jr. is the only way they feel they can move on from the tragedies they witnessed - a child born of necessity?' Narcissa, I can't say I care for this one bit…!"

Narcissa merely laughed at his reaction, having fully anticipated the likes of the segment he read to her. "Don't you recall? She did exactly the same thing when I was pregnant with Draco, and who gave a second glance at the nonsense she wrote then? Nobody, Lucius. In fact, I'm sure she and everyone else will forget about me the instant Potter is spotted with the Weasley girl again."

"Still, things are different now… I suppose I'd just feel a bit better if you'd give her an interview or something, just to let them know these theories of hers couldn't be further from the truth." He disliked it, even found it offensive that anyone would think to write such things about her, and was in no way joking when he said he wanted her to correct the woman.

"…I'll keep it in mind," she promised. Narcissa highly doubted she'd be giving Rita Skeeter what she wanted any time soon, but for Lucius she was willing to pretend.

As Lucius reluctantly cast aside Rita's article with the rest of the announcements of his wife's pregnancy and picked up the Daily Prophet, Draco's footsteps could be heard descending the nearby staircase.

"Draco, good morning!" Narcissa said with a smile upon her son's arrival.

"'Morning, Mother; Father." Despite the conversation he had had with his father, Draco was still unsure of what to say around his mother. She was no different than she was when he saw her at King's Cross or even when she had seen him off at the start of the school year, yet he found himself conscious of his words and even his movements in her presence.

"Are you hungry at all? I thought you might be, so I held off on starting breakfast for the two of you…"

"S-sure, breakfast would be nice. Thank you," the boy said in the kindest tones he could manage.

Narcissa stood and gestured for him to sit down near his father. As he did so, the small stack of magazines and papers sitting on the table did not escape his notice.

"Draco," Lucius lowered the newspaper to address him once Narcissa had gone to prepare their meal. "It is not any easier for her than it is for you. I have every intention of speaking with her about it too, but until then please try to be as normal as possible with her. As you can imagine, hurting you or making you angry because of this is one of her greatest fears right now, and I think it would be best if you and I both did what we can to help alleviate them."

Draco nodded. "I will," he said. "It's just so odd for me to consider, I suppose… I mean, that it's not really _only_ Mother I'm speaking to, in a way…"

"That I can understand, and I can say with some authority on the matter that it does go away, quicker than you might expect. When you're home for the summer and you're here to see her every day, I'm sure you'll notice that as well."

"I hope so," he grimaced. In the silence that followed, Draco's eyes once again found their way to the curious pile of papers on the table, something that Lucius did not fail to see.

"The announcement," he answered Draco's impending question. "Your mother wanted to make it public after she told you, for the sake of preserving what's left of this family's image and to dispel rumors and the like, you understand. Of course that didn't stop some of them…"

Draco nodded again. He had a feeling he knew exactly which 'some of them' the man was speaking of. As he picked up one of the papers to read what was being written about his mother, his attention was drawn away by a tapping at the large window. He and his father turned to see an owl, a letter tied to its leg and still pecking at the glass to declare itself. With a lazy flick of his wand, Lucius opened the window and unattached the letter from the bird. As he had expected, it was addressed to his wife.

As he shooed the owl away, he observed two more flying fast towards the manor, and what he assumed to be a third in the distance. He knew full well that rather few of the owls they would receive that day would be adding to the assortment Christmas cards the family had accumulated this year.

"I ought to alert your mother she won't be having the quiet morning she anticipated, with all these owls flying in…"

"I'll tell her," Draco volunteered, standing before Lucius had the chance.

Lucius was ready to protest before he realized just what it was his son was doing. "…As you should," he conceded.

Mere minutes later, Draco and Narcissa entered the dining room together carrying plates and silverware, the dishes of food she had prepared bewitched to follow close behind. The two of them set the table for three, and a wave of Narcissa's wand placed all manner of breakfast foods before them on the table.

"Draco, you've got a letter as well," Lucius told him, proffering it to him and offering the others to Narcissa.

Draco sat down to open the unexpected message. As he read, his features betrayed his surprise at its contents. "Mother, Father, I must have forgotten mention it, but there's to be a Christmas party at the Parkinson manor this evening… Pansy had invited me along with the other Slytherins; Goyle, the Greengrass girls, Zabini, and that sort, and her friends from outside of Hogwarts - all purebloods, of course… I had intended to ask your permission, but it… slipped my mind." Draco stopped there, fearing he would only make a fool of himself if he attempted to explain further; to mention that his and his parents' newly recast futures were all that had been occupying his thoughts since he arrived home.

Narcissa and Lucius shared a look that must have held significance for the two them, but meant nothing to their son.

"Of course you should go, dear," Narcissa approved. "You certainly deserve a chance to relax and take your mind off of things."

Draco gave her his thanks, and began filling his plate. Narcissa, meanwhile, held off on breakfast in favor of reading the letters she'd received, the contents of which she relayed to her curious husband and son. As anticipated, every one of them, even her continued correspondence with her sister, mentioned the public announcement of her condition. Mrs. Parkinson, Horace Slughorn, even Cornelius Fudge sent her their best wishes, and of course, their initial sentiments of surprise upon reading of her condition.

Over the course of the morning, many more letters flooded Malfoy Manor, and unfortunately, though not unforeseen, not all were as positive as the first few. Those letters, the ones that accused her of infidelity, that cast doubt upon her and her husband's ability as parents, and that questioned how she could justify bringing a new life into a world in which the three of them had taken so many others, were all immediately destroyed by Lucius himself the instant he recognized them.

He gave a discreet, somewhat nervous glance in her direction whenever another letter was opened. He hated seeing the look that came over his beloved when she read those falsities and lies about her. However, in spite of that, he couldn't help but look forward to when he would see her dark eyes light up without her even knowing it upon reading something she particularly liked.

"Lucius, Draco, you won't believe who's written to us!" she said, just as surprised as she was pleased, the familiar brightness returning to her once more as she read her latest letter. "Potter!"

Lucius immediately moved to snatch it from her hand, but Narcissa refused him, turning away. "If you'd just be patient, Lucius, I'll share it with both of you….

'Dear Mrs. Malfoy,

First of all, congratulations to you and your husband! When Mrs. Weasley told us the news, I have to say, none of us were expecting to hear it. I took it as an indication that you and your family are recovering well after everything - I hope I'm right in that assumption; the three of you deserve it just as much as anyone else. I'm sure you've gotten a ton of letters like this by now, but I wanted say that knowing you as I know you, you'll be a fantastic mother (though I don't at all mean to imply you aren't already) and raise your child with nothing but love. It's thanks to you that the closest your child will ever get to Voldemort is reading about him in history books, which is something I and so many others are still grateful to you for, whether they like to admit it or not. Oh, and I almost forgot – I know it isn't my place to say this, and I don't at all mean to insult you by it, but I think it would really mean a lot to Mrs. Tonks if you allowed your son or daughter to meet her grandson one day.

Happy Holidays,

Harry Potter

P.S: No one I consider a friend believes a word that comes out of Rita Skeeter's quill.'"

Lucius and Draco were both silent, unable to find anything wrong with what Harry had said in his letter.

"That was kind of him, wasn't it?" Narcissa asked hopefully. Whether they agreed or not, neither man seemed keen to admit it just yet. She sighed and added Potter's letter to the stack of those she had decided were worthy of a reply.

"I'm glad to see that boy's giving you the respect you deserve," Lucius said finally with carefully selected words. "And as much as I hate to admit it, I have to say I agree with him."

Draco as well muttered words of agreement. He felt undeniably guilty that just four years prior he provided Rita Skeeter and that acid-green quill of hers with equally improbable lies.

"Well, be off then, you two," Narcissa announced, abruptly changing the subject in hopes of diffusing what was seeming to be an awkward situation, something she had had quite enough of already. "I'll clean up the table and get started on all of these letters I ought to write."

Draco and Lucius exchanged a brief glance at one another, and did as they were told.

By the time evening fell, there was not an owl to be seen flying near Malfoy Manor. All three of its residents were thankful to enjoy a quiet Christmas Eve together at home, at least until it came time for Draco to leave.

"Lucius, do you think we should give it to him now…? I mean, after the shock we gave him when he arrived the other night, and after what you said you talked to him about, I feel it might be good for him, and he _is_ going out soon…" Narcissa whispered as her son was busy getting ready.

"I think that's a wise choice, just so long as you're the one to give it to him."

Narcissa quickly retrieved a long, giftwrapped box with a green ribbon tied around it, forming an elaborate bow at the center. "I just hope it really is the best time…"

"It is," Lucius assured. "Draco could use the reinforcement now, and at the very least I'm sure it'll give him that, especially when those friends of his ask the inevitable questions about you."

Narcissa realized he was correct; that Draco's friends _would_ ask about her condition, something Draco himself wasn't even entirely comfortable with yet. In those times in particular, their gift to their son, she felt, would reaffirm their faith and trust in him, as well as his status as the Malfoy family's scion in a way that words could not.

When Draco came to the base of the winding staircase, he was surprised to find his parents waiting for him.

"Draco," Narcissa started, "before you go tonight, your father and I thought you should have this. We planned to give it to you tomorrow morning, but since you've got an event to attend tonight…"

"Thank you…" he said, but accepting the box from her. He undid the bow and gingerly opened his gift. Though he could already guess at what it was, his eyes still widened in surprise when he saw it. He withdrew from the box a snake-shaped silver cane, encrusted with diamonds and emeralds that was similar, yet not identical, to the one his father used to carry.

He looked from Narcissa to Lucius, as if unsure that it was truly all right to accept such a thing.

"As the heirloom that should have been yours was destroyed in the war, we hoped you may start a new family legacy, so to speak, with this one; one that's not marred by the mistakes of your ancestors," Lucius explained.

Draco opened his mouth to speak but had trouble finding the words. "Father… I-it's really okay…? Even though…?" He couldn't help but steal a quick glance toward his mother.

"Draco, even if it should be that you are not my only son, you will always be my first. It's yours."

The boy looked down at the gift again, then back at his parents. They had been correct; simply receiving it, he felt foolish for ever having doubted their faith in him, and even more so for doubting himself. For him, it was at the same time a symbol of the ancient family he would soon be called the head of, and the ways that that family had transformed; had morphed into something better thanks to the efforts and experiences of he and his parents in the war and the changed world that came of it.

"We're both very proud of you, Draco. We always have been and always will be. I hope that if nothing else, this helps you remember that," Narcissa told him with a kind smile. She stepped closer to him and embraced him as only a mother could.

"Thank you," Draco said with confidence when he was once again able to meet her eyes. "Both of you, it… It means a lot to me."

"We hoped it might," Lucius told him sincerely.

"Now, don't you have someplace to be that it simply wouldn't do to be late to?" Narcissa asked with a grin.

"Y-yes," he replied, a bit caught off guard, "I had come downstairs to tell you I was leaving, but..."

"You don't want to keep them in suspense, do you?"

For the first time in days, Draco was able to return his mother's smile. "Of course not." He wielded the cane as he had seen his father do so very often in years past, and shared a last look of appreciation with both of them.

"Have a good time, dear," Narcissa reminded, and with a final assurance that he would, Draco Disapparated from the manor.

"You know, Cissa," Lucius began after a short moment of silence, "earlier today I had hoped to talk to you regarding Draco."

"Oh?"

"Yes, however, I now believe that to do so would simply be wasting my breath."

They laughed together at his remark, and walked, slowly, to the manor's drawing room.

"I have to say, though, the two of you never fail to impress me."

"And how is that?" she asked, taking a seat on one of the room's black sofas, her husband following her lead and doing the same.

"I know it's hard for both of you, all of this about your pregnancy, but despite that, the two of you were so very natural speaking with one another in the end… I'm not sure I could do it if I were in either of your positions."

Narcissa shook her head. "I suppose it just came naturally. When at last I stopped worrying about what to say so as not to hurt him, or make him feel terribly awkward around me… Well, you saw how it was. But you never know, it could all change again by morning!"

They shared another laugh and Lucius placed a quick kiss on her forehead.

"So, do you suppose he'll take a fancy to any of them? These girls at the party, I mean." Lucius asked.

"Oh, I hope so. As I've mentioned before, I'd be loath to choose a girl for him after having married for love myself. But he _is_ getting to the age where we ought to have some sort of route prepared should he not begin courting some young lady within the next few years, isn't he?"

"Well, it would be logical, to be sure… But for now, Cissa, I don't want you spending your holiday worrying over something like that."

"…You're right. Thinking about the marriage of one child and birth of another at the same time; it's much too troublesome!" she announced as she shook her head as if to banish the thoughts from her mind.

"Then for now, just think of this: Next year, we'll be spending our Christmas as a family of four; myself with my extraordinary wife, and our two wonderful children…My word, Cissa, I believe I await the day almost as much as you do."

Narcissa looked at him fondly. She enjoyed the very thought of it, and was overjoyed that Lucius felt the same way. She let slip a contented sigh and lie down on the sofa, borrowing her husband's lap for use as her pillow. Lucius made no objects, and began stroking her brunette fringe away from her forehead.

"Thank you, Lucius, for such a fantastic gift."

He looked at her curiously. "Cissy, I haven't given you anything yet. I planned to do that in the morning."

"You fool," she laughed. "I'm talking about our baby. I can't very well have done it alone, you know. That and I had to consider the possibility that you simply wouldn't be ready to father a child again."

He kept quiet for a moment. He simply couldn't tell her that he had often wondered if it were even possible for a man like him to ever be considered _ready _for a commitment so great. "…It's as I told you before, my love. There is a very large difference between asking me if I'd like to be a father and telling me that I am going to be one. It may not seem like it, but there is."

"I know, and I'm sorry. It's just one of those things one has to think about when they discover they're pregnant."

"I can hardly even begin to imagine."

They smiled at one another, allowing the more serious turn their conversation was beginning to take fade away. As Lucius continued to stroke her hair once more, Narcissa allowed her eyes to drift shut, enjoying his touch.

When she opened them again, she saw his blue eyes gazing tenderly back at her.

She reached up and touched his cheek, her other hand resting lightly on her stomach.

The look they exchanged then communicated just as much as any words either could have spoken.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N**: I suppose I consider this more of a chapter 3.5 than anything - it's shorter, and I only decided to write and use it while working on the next chapter. I thought it was important to show this more light-hearted look at the Malfoy's home life and take the opportunity to plant some seeds, as we set sail for stormier seas from here. Please continue to enjoy, and tell me what you think!

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><p>Narcissa awoke to the bright light of the sun shining through the window, its glare magnified by the newly fallen snow. She shielded her eyes and looked towards her husband, who, she was pleased to observe, was still asleep next to her. She sat up and allowed the blankets that covered her to fall, exposing her bare chest. She slid further from under the covers keeping her warm, leaned over, and placed a kiss upon Lucius's temple.<p>

"Merry Christmas, dear," she whispered.

Mr. Malfoy opened his eyes slowly and made an effort to quickly blink the sleep from them, always glad to wake to the sight of his beautiful wife. Disregarding his early-morning lethargy, he lifted his arm behind her head, allowing his fingers to entangle in her hair. He eased her down again gently, an action Narcissa was more than happy to comply with, and locked his lips with hers, in spite of the smile that was starting to form on them. Lucius made sure they stayed that way for several long moments before beginning to let up. "Merry Christmas to you as well, Cissa."

"I wonder," she said softly as she relaxed and rested a delicate hand upon his chest, "just how many other wives can say they wake up to a kiss like that from their wonderful husband on Christmas morning…?"

"And _I_ wonder just how many other husbands can say they wake up to the sight of such an extraordinary wife every morning, with whom each kiss is so heavenly?"

"None," they said in unison, and Narcissa leaned in for another lengthy kiss.

"You know, I'd ask for one more, but I would hate to seem greedy," he said with a smirk when they once again parted.

"Don't worry about that, Lucius," she said, and lowered her voice to a whisper, "you'll be getting plenty more tonight when I choose to give you the gift I have planned for you. But for now, I believe you and I have been lying here for too long, especially as Draco has that event he attended to tell us about. By which I mean, with any luck he'll have some worthy girls to tell us about."

"I suppose that's true…" Lucius muttered, and sighed as he slowly sat up. He would have much preferred another hour or two of rest and time alone with his wife, but she had made clear that that was out of the question for the time being.

Narcissa stood in hopes of beginning her morning routine before meeting Draco downstairs and almost immediately she was overcome with a familiar faintness. She reached out a hand to the bed's headboard to steady her and pressed the other to her forehead.

"Cissy! Are you all right…?" Lucius quite nearly shouted, hurrying to pull on his robe and rush to her side.

"I'm fine, Lucius," she said after a moment. "Just dizzy; a bit lightheaded. You remember." She looked back at him with a weak smile, hoping he recalled the very same thing happening during her first pregnancy.

"Of course I remember, and it alarmed me then, too…Here." He offered Narcissa her own dressing gown to cover herself with until she could properly get ready for the day and choose an outfit for herself.

"Lucius, it's perfectly normal for me to feel like that from time to time," she tried to assure him when she noticed his still very much concerned expression. "There's no need to be anxious."

"Yes, I know its normal but… Well, you could fall, and hurt more than just yourself…"

A certain warmth of appreciation came over her, hearing her husband tell her plainly that their child's safety was his primary concern, and she felt her mouth twist into a very involuntary, very genuine smile. "Relax," she stated, and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before commencing with her preparation for the day.

When the two of them had cleaned up and finished dressing in their usual finery, they descended the stairs towards the living room that contained the manor's largest Christmas tree, tastefully decorated by Narcissa some weeks prior. Despite her annoyance and protests that she had been walking up and down stairs on her own for forty years, Lucius insisted upon walking arm in arm with Narcissa in the case that she should begin to feel faint once again.

When they entered the living room, they were both somewhat surprised to find Draco already there, waiting in one of the large plush armchairs. "Merry Christmas," he greeted them with a smile.

"Oh, it's been far too long since we've had a proper holiday together," Narcissa broke away from her husband and embraced Draco in a tight hug before claiming the chair across from him. "I'm so happy to see you remembered, Draco, how we'd always meet here on Christmas morning; all three of us… Of course plenty of those mornings – more than half, to be sure - involved you running to our bedroom in all your excitement to wake us up first!"

Draco and Narcissa laughed together at the pleasant memory of his younger days, Lucius offering a fond smile. "Really, Mother, it's only been those two years… Naturally I remember that much."

"Those two years…" Lucius said with a shake of his head. "I don't even think about them now," he lied. He knew it wasn't the least bit believable, nor had he expected it to be. However, he also knew that broaching the topic of those lost years when they were forced apart once by his own time in Azkaban and the subsequent effects it had on him, as well as Draco's punishment from the Dark Lord, and again by a war being conducted in part in their very own home was nothing but a walk across thin ice for all three of them. Of course, they did talk about it at times; it was a way to try and heal their not-quite-closed wounds. But Lucius would not allow such a thing on a day when everything had already been going so wonderfully. Not at a time that was supposed to give them nothing but happiness and bring them together as a family.

"Well, ah, I didn't exactly know if either of you would accept any sort of gift from me…" Draco admitted, forcing the conversation away from the days that none cared to recall, "But I decided get these. They're supposed to be a Hogsmeade exclusive, and I thought you in particular might like them, Mother…"

He proffered to her a simply wrapped box, which she accepted gratefully, charmed by her son's thoughtfulness before even opening it.

"You didn't have to, but thank you, Draco." She delicately removed the paper from it to reveal a box of twelve cider flavored Sugar Quills.

"They're cider flavor, as it says, but they're just fine, even with your condition, and…Such," he said, referencing the beverage's usual alcohol content while making a vague gesture towards his mother, and decidedly keeping his gaze focused on her instead of his father.

"Thank you," she repeated kindly, not acknowledging his slight awkwardness. She couldn't recall ever telling him that Sugar Quills had been a favorite of hers when she was a girl, and it made her all the more pleased that he had bothered to learn such a thing at all.

Lucius, meanwhile, sat quietly near his wife with a contented look about him. Draco hadn't ignored his recommendation when he'd sent a letter addressed specifically to Lucius to ask if there might be something he could get his mother when he came home for the holidays. He remembered clearly that she'd often make Honeydukes their first stop on Hogsmeade weekends during their own time at Hogwarts to obtain a box or two of the sweets she enjoyed, and he managed to guess correctly that she'd enjoy them just as much now.

"Say, Draco, don't you have something more for us?" Lucius asked, attempting to bring forth the conversation he and his wife were more than a little interested in hearing.

He gave the older man an uncertain look. Had they discussed another gift in their letters and he'd forgotten about it?

"A certain Christmas party to tell us about, perhaps?"

"Oh, of course, though I don't know that there's too much to tell," Draco said.

"Nonsense," interjected Narcissa, "we want to hear all about it."

"Well, it was enjoyable; it was really just all of us talking and laughing at whatever jokes we had together… I'll admit, it was good to see them away from Hogwarts, when I didn't have to act like a responsible Head Boy," Draco told them with a small chuckle. "I did meet a few of Pansy's friends who attend Durmstrang, though. I had excellent conversations with them, about everything from our Charms classes to the war, and they told me that things have been steadily improving there ever since Karkaroff left the school. But aside from that, I did talk quite a bit to the Greengrass girls… I didn't think I'd ever find myself saying so before now, but we've got a lot in common."

Narcissa and Lucius exchanged the same significant glance that Draco had seen at the breakfast table the previous morning, as though they had the same idea about something or other.

"The younger, Astoria, is repeating her fifth year in order to take her O.W.L.s properly, and the elder, Daphne, is in my year. We thought that when we return to school, we might study together for our exams and such, as our strengths lie in different areas…"

"I think that's a wonderful idea," Narcissa approved, her eyes bright. The Greengrasses were one of the few remaining pureblood families; quite prestigious, though not quite as much so as the Malfoys and especially not the Blacks, but still _very_ well-regarded and highly respected in such circles. Either of the family's daughters, in her opinion, would prove to be a match for her son.

"Oh, and several guests did ask after you, Mother, and they send you their best. No one asked too many questions – old pureblood sensibilities and all that, I suppose – but I told them you were doing just fine thus far."

"That was very good of you," she said with a nod.

"I'm glad you decided to go, Draco, it sounds as though you had an excellent time," Lucius commented. There was a certain lilt to his voice when he said it that Draco couldn't identify, but it seemed to him that Narcissa did not notice at all.

"I should really thank you for permitting it on such short notice."

"Not at all. It's only good that you've built such relationships with your peers," he reminded with a hint of satisfaction in his voice. It was thanks in part to the relationships he established at Hogwarts, after all, that Lucius himself was able to be successful in his life outside of school; he couldn't help but feel proud that his son was on the path to do the same, without making the same mistakes he had along the way.

"Well, if you two would like to carry on," Narcissa cut in, "I'll go and start cooking. I plan on making a breakfast and dinner, both quite lavish if I may say so, for you both, and it's bound to take me quite awhile."

Neither had any objections. It was only on his breaks from school that Draco got to enjoy his mother's cooking, and he found he had begun to miss it while he was away.

Narcissa took the box of Sugar Quills and stood to leave, and kissed both of her boys on the cheek on her way out of the living room, repeating once more her gratitude to Draco for the gift.

A silence passed between the men once she left.

"…Draco, I need to speak with your mother for just a moment. I'll return shortly, if you care to continue our conversation."

"I would like that," he said with small smile, understanding that he was meant to let his father go alone for the time being.

Lucius followed after his wife, where he found her retrieving a variety of things she would need from the cupboards in the manor kitchen.

"Cissa," he addressed her.

"Hmm?"

"What do you think? About that Daphne or Astoria, I mean."

"Oh, Lucius, go spend time with your son instead of talking about that with me; we can do that any time," she reprimanded.

"I know, and we will, but I just want your opinion. I want to know if we're in full agreement or not before I mention anything regarding his relationship status. And don't worry; I plan to be incredibly subtle about it."

Narcissa considered for a moment before assenting to discuss it with him. It would be much easier for Lucius to talk to him about it than it would for her, she knew, and it _would_ be good to know where her son currently stood as far as marriage options were concerned, especially in relation to the Greengrasses... "Both girls have my approval. We've always been on good terms with the family – in fact, I believe we received a card from them the other day congratulating us. They're of noble lineage as we are, so I don't oppose a relationship on those grounds either."

Lucius nodded in agreement. "That's exactly the impression I got from you, but I wouldn't dare assume." Ordinarily he wouldn't so much as bother asking, with how well he and Narcissa could read and understand one another by looks alone, but with her emotions and feelings liable to change in an instant, he didn't wish to get it wrong.

"And I appreciate it. To be honest, I wouldn't trust me in that regard either if I were in your position."

Lucius chuckled, and returned to the living room where Draco was still waiting.

"Draco," he said with a father's authority, "have you been managing everything all right at school? I only ask because, as much confidence as I have in you, I know it can be stressful at times. Performing my duties as Head Boy, Quidditch, keeping up with my studies, and making time for your mother on top of that could definitely get to be a bit much."

Draco was a perceptive boy, and he was sure he knew what his father was trying to ask: whether or not he happened to have a girlfriend at the time. He had to suppress the knowing smile that was begging to show itself. "Oh, I don't have quite as much to deal with as you did, I'm sure. I'm not seeing anyone at the moment, for one thing, and things have been quiet at Hogwarts this year, even in Slytherin, though that isn't entirely unexpected."

"…Good to know," Lucius said, taken somewhat aback. He hadn't expected the answer he was seeking so be given quickly.

"That's not to say I wouldn't mind having a special someone, _or_ a little excitement, for that matter. I suppose finding them just hasn't been a primary objective for me right now," he explained, and he wasn't merely saying what his father wanted to hear. Ever since he and Pansy Parkinson had ended their romantic relationship, Draco simply had neither the time nor the motivation to find another.

"That's perfectly understandable," he nodded, already thinking of what he'd tell Narcissa. "…In fact, I imagine I'd feel the same were I in your position, all things considered."

Draco gave an appreciative smile. It was such a new thing for his father to speak so openly with him, it mattered not how overdue it might have been or how discomfited they might have felt with one another at times.

Lucius gave a sigh and leaned back in his chair. If nothing else, the holidays had allowed him to at last act as the real father he had for so long wanted to be to his first son, which pleased him indefinitely, and even more importantly, pleased Narcissa as well.

"Father…" Draco began once more.

Lucius was happy to once again give the boy his full attention.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N**: I apologize for the long delay on this one! This is the longest chapter to date, and also the most difficult for me to write, but it was one that I've been looking forward to doing when I first decided to write this story. Thank you for being patient, and please tell me what you think! Also, I noticed my formatting was a little off in some places when I uploaded it -sorry if I didn't catch them all!

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><p>"Lucius, it's time go!" Narcissa called, opening the doors to her husband's study. "Are you still coming with me?"<p>

Lucius took a deep breath when he heard her voice. He had been deep in thought, mulling over matters that concerned the both of them, yet matters he preferred not to share, and he couldn't allow her to know. The man shut his eyes briefly, and forced himself to quickly remove them from his mind, both to keep Narcissa happy and himself content to wait until he could be alone with his thoughts once more. He set down his quill slowly, as if it's touching the desk beneath would solidify their banishment, and turned to look at her as she entered. "Of course. I was merely waiting for you to give the word." He gave her a pleasant smile and donned the traveling cloak he'd left draped over the arm of his large chair, and followed her out.

They proceeded to the sitting room where the large fireplace had been lit to chase the early January cold from the area, its flame now beginning to dwindle and die down. Narcissa took a pinch of glittery powder from a small container atop the mantle, and threw it into the flame. With a _whoosh_the fire shot up and immediately turned a brilliant emerald green.

"Oh, don't give me that look," Narcissa said with a touch of frivolity as she looked towards her husband, knowing very well his distaste for Floo travel. "The Floo Network isn't my favorite means of transport either, but I know I won't be allowed to Apparate for much longer, and I might as well get used to it while I can."

"No, no," he said with a short sigh, much more willing to comply than argue. "I know it's the best way for you and our child both. In fact, why don't you let me go first? That way I'll be there to help you, should you need it..." Though it was difficult for him, with her hormones and emotions in such flux, Lucius had made a particular effort in recent days to be accommodating to her. He wanted to deal with her moodiness as little as possible, and he knew her apparent lessened control over what she felt and how she reacted wasn't a pleasant experience for her either.

"By all means; thank you, Lucius..." Though a bit surprised at this particular offer, she stepped aside and allowed him to stand before the fireplace.

He cleared his throat and said loudly, "St. Mungo's!" and stepped into the green flames, disappearing nearly on contact with them. Narcissa tossed another pinch of the powder into the fire and did the same.

She stumbled a bit stepping out of the St. Mungo's fireplace, and steadied herself with the assistance of Lucius's offered arm. She drew her wand, and with a swish, the soot and dust vanished from her husband's clothes, and another wave removed the grime from hers as well.

"Better?"

"Much."

Their eyes met, and the pair shared a look of joyful, yet anxious expectation. It was Lucius's first time at St. Mungo's for such a purpose, and, though he didn't quite know what to expect, just being there at the hospital with Narcissa helped to clear his head. It was almost too much for him to imagine that it would be this very place, if not the manor, that they would be rushing to in just eight or so short months for Narcissa to deliver their second child… As quickly as he was sure the time would pass, that particular event was still too far into the future for him to be thinking about for the time being.

When they boarded one of the many elevators to the sixth floor and she was alone with her husband, a small, involuntary smile came over Narcissa. "I'm glad you're here with me today, Lucius," she said softly.

He was a bit taken aback by this, Narcissa going against her pureblood upbringing and saying such things aloud in a place that was, however devoid of other people for the time being, still very public.

"Honestly, and I know I've told you before, but I can't imagine anything making me more pleased than you getting to experience all of this with me now. Being here, it… It just makes it seem more real than ever, I suppose."

"I…" She had read his thoughts exactly and Lucius hesitated a moment to respond, always preferring to take his time with something so heartfelt. Before he could, however, the short elevator ride had taken its course, and the doors opened. The moment they did, the Malfoys were no longer alone. It was time for them to become the proper purebloods they were once more. "Indeed," he said brusquely, and exited alongside her.

While Narcissa went to check in and give the hospital the proper amount of Galleons for the appointment, Lucius found seats for them in the waiting room amongst several other witches and the wizards that accompanied some of them. It was by no means difficult to notice both the stares and furtive glances the others gave him, and Narcissa as well when she joined him. Did they find it strange for him to be accompanying her, or was the stir caused by their public announcement and the speculative articles that followed simply not quite over yet? Either way, Lucius preferred for himself and Narcissa to be in with the Healer as quickly as possible.

Narcissa could sense his agitation at the others in the room, and had to resist the urge to reach out and touch him, to assure him that it was all okay. Though she certainly didn't appreciate the looks they received either, it was an easy task for her to ignore them and patiently wait for her name to be called. A much easier task, at least, for her than for her husband.

Lucius's impatience was soon alleviated, however, when a young assistant addressed the waiting room and announced that a Healer Avior was ready to see Mrs. Narcissa Malfoy.

They stood up together, and walked proudly after the assistant, Narcissa continuing to ignore the people around her and Lucius still wearing an expression of annoyed disdain for them.

"Right this way, please," the assistant said happily. Though certainly not accustomed to taking care of the closest thing to wizarding royalty currently alive, she spoke to Narcissa as she would to anyone else, something both Malfoys picked up on and appreciated. She led them into a brightly lit, pleasant-looking room, surely identical to every other that lined that particular corridor.

"Mrs. Malfoy, if we could get a measure of your height and weight, please…?"

"Certainly," Narcissa said politely, and the younger woman drew her wand and conjured a scale, which Narcissa obediently stepped upon, and then a tape measure which she unfurled next to her.

The assistant scribbled the measurements on the clipboard she carried. "Five feet, four inches, one hundred and twenty-two… Quite perfect." She offered Narcissa and Lucius both a look of approval and vanished the items she'd summoned, and proceeded to take Narcissa's heart rate and other necessary, pre-appointment vitals. "Going by this, Mrs. Malfoy, you're looking wonderful," she said. "I'm sure Healer Avior will be pleased to hear it. You can take a seat on the bed there, and she'll be in momentarily, all right?"

"Thank you," Narcissa said, doing as she suggested, and the girl left the room.

As soon as the door shut she looked over to Lucius, sitting in the chair nearest the bed. "It would seem we're off to a good start, no?"

"Very," he affirmed, pleased with the assistant's assessment of her. "And I ought to admit, I'm interested to meet this Healer. It's the same one that took care of you before, correct?"

Narcissa nodded, and Lucius continued, smirking. "I believe I owe her my thanks, then, at the least, for dealing with you and your bastard hormones when I wasn't around." The two laughed, both glad to find the slight bit of humor in that painful memory.

"Well, with any luck, those will be settling down here shortly."

"And that, my dear, will be as much a relief to me as it will be to you."

Just as Narcissa was about to lean back on the bed for a moment of relaxation before the Healer arrived, two knocks sounded at the door, and the knob twisted.

An older, grey-haired witch with glasses low across her nose appeared, and a grin lit up her face the moment she caught sight of her patient. "Mrs. Malfoy! How good it is to see you looking so well."

"Healer Avior, it's always nice to see you too."

"And—" She turned suddenly to the man seated in the chair near Narcissa, surprised. "Why, if it isn't Mr. Malfoy…!"

"Yes, he's decided to join me for all of our sessions from here on, if that's all right," Narcissa explained. "It's something he never got the chance to do twenty years ago."

"Of course, of course, I'm happy to hear it… It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Malfoy. I'm Carina Avior and, as I'm sure you already know, I was responsible for taking care of your wife during her first pregnancy as well. "

"Likewise, Madame Avior. I've always appreciated that she had someone so skilled looking after her then, and of course now as well." The two courteously shook hands, and Lucius offered a respectful nod of his head.

Narcissa, meanwhile, was impressed. He'd made light of it, but Lucius's words to her were genuine, and that wasn't a treatment he gave everyone.

"Well, I suppose we should get right into it, no?" Avior said. "Let's see, your second month and our first _true_ meeting about all of this… First things first, I ought to start by asking how arrived here today…?"

"Floo powder," Narcissa answered hastily with confidence.

"Good," Avior said, beaming at her self-assurance and preparedness. "I'm sure you know what I'm going to say already, but I suggest that you keep Apparition to a minimum now, and remember that I'll expressly prohibit it into your second and third trimesters. It's always good to have that practice in now; I know first hand how hard a habit always Apparating for travel can be to break… Personally, I'd advise the use of a carriage or some such, though with the location and size of your estate, I don't know that that's feasible."

Lucius meanwhile mumbled something under his breath regarding the fact that there were no elves at the manor to drive one, though both women chose to pay it no mind.

"Concerning your transport when it comes time for you to give birth, you'll have permission to create a Portkey here to St. Mungo's, of course," she continued, referencing the safest means of instant transportation for their kind, "though we'll always have Healers on call should you not be comfortable with that and prefer, or perhaps need, to have the process carried out at your manor."

Narcissa nodded. "I understand, and I'll keep those options in mind; thank you."

Avior had noticed the way Lucius's grimace throughout their conversation. "Of course, that doesn't necessarily ban your husband from Apparition and all of that… Though if _you_ do, I suppose that's another story!"

Even Narcissa, in all her love for the man, snickered alongside Avior at this.

"At any rate, how have you been feeling lately, Mrs. Malfoy?"

"I'm quite well, now that my morning sickness is becoming a rarer occurrence," Narcissa stated quickly. She went on to answer the Healer's next question before she could ask it. "It's been a few, perhaps two or three, days since last that happened. I've experienced several dizzy spells as well, though I haven't exactly been concerned about them…"

"All very normal for the first trimester," Avior affirmed.

"I suppose I should say that some nights are occasionally emotionally rougher for me than others, but when Lucius is always there next to me, I have no trouble getting past those, either."

Saving himself the embarrassment, Lucius kept his head down at her mentioning him and such a private aspect of their life together.

She nodded. "No other physical symptoms, then, or perhaps bouts of depression, or severe mood swings?"

"Not particularly, I don't think. I know I've been moody, and not always the easiest to deal with, but nothing out of the ordinary for my condition, I believe. I think it hasn't been nearly so bad as the first time around, at least…" She looked to her husband for his concurrence.

"I most definitely agree. Overall, thus far, it's been a much less tumultuous experience for both of us."

"Excellent." She made a note on her clipboard as well, just as the assistant before her had. Something apparently troubling caught her eye, and she then peered at the woman over her glasses, not speaking for just a moment. "…Now, I know I'm not the Healer you usually speak to about this, but it must be discussed so it might as well be now… Does that go for the post-traumatic symptoms you've suffered in the past several years as well…?"

There was an instant change in the mood between the three of them. It was a subtle change, yet evident to all present. Lucius clenched his fist but didn't say a word.

"We all still reflect on it, Lucius and Draco and I, and truthfully, I don't know that we'll ever escape the nightmares entirely. However…Months have gone by since last one of us entered a room and the memories contained therein became all too real and too vivid to stand. Those sorts of occurrences seem to have left us alone, at least for now."

"And on those nights when some memory is dredged back up, Narcissa and I are always there for one other," Lucius added. "And as for our son," he continued, "though we ourselves can't assist him, specialist Healers are in place at Hogwarts this year for just such occasions."

Avior gave them a sympathetic glance, surely no stranger to their plights, having lived through two wars herself. "How often do these things happen, if I may?"

"Lucius or I may experience a nightmare or some such once or twice a month, perhaps?" Narcissa guessed, looking to her husband to confirm.

"Yes, I'd say so. Though I should say it happens to me more often than it does to Narcissa," he explained to the Healer.

She made another quick note. "I'm sorry to bring that up with you both," she said, "but the less stress either of you have to deal with, Mrs. Malfoy especially, the better. Right now, from the standpoint of the pregnancy and how your post-traumatic symptoms can relate, I can't exactly complain about one or two nightmares per month, for either of you. But should you begin having more frequent dreams, or should those episodes you mentioned start again, I expect you'll be making an appointment with me posthaste. Both of you are going through some mental and emotional changes now, and these sorts things can very much be effected by such changes."

"We will," Narcissa said with a nod and a weak smile. It was never easy to talk about, even among themselves.

"Now, on the subject of your son, how is he doing with all of this? He's not too many years from starting a family of his own, is he?" she continued, refusing to allow the dark atmosphere she had created to continue any longer than it had to.

"He's doing better with it than we had anticipated," Narcissa said. "At first I was worried what he would think, incredibly so… Lucius can agree it lead to some rough nights for me."

"He was, as we had expected, uncomfortable with the news when we told him," Mr. Malfoy clarified. "And I suppose he still _is_ uncomfortable with it, but if that's indeed the case, he's been handling it much better since I was able to talk to him and after the holidays passed. To be fair, I can't even imagine what it must be like to learn you're having a sibling at eighteen."

"And, moreover, to be the first Malfoy to_have_ a sibling in generations," Narcissa mentioned. She didn't look at Lucius as she said it, but her words were for him. It had gone unsaid between them, ever since the night she announced to him that she was pregnant, but she didn't doubt that it was something that had been on his mind. It was time, she decided, to let him know that it was fine to bring up the broken tradition, and that it was something she was ready and more than willing to deal with.

"I'd say he should be quite proud!" Avior said jovially, "Just as I know the two of you are." Having had such a long career as a Healer, Carina Avior could very easily hear the true pride Narcissa felt with every word she spoke about her baby, and it pleased her indefinitely to hear Narcissa speak of it with the same delight she did nearly twenty years prior.

"Before we get to your physical examination, do you have any questions for me, either of you?" the Healer asked kindly as she drew her wand.

"I don't believe so, at least not right now… Lucius?"

He shook his head.

"Well, if you do think of something, don't hesitate to say so; it's what I'm here for," Avior reminded. "Now then." She flicked her wand, causing a pale green light to emanate from it, and touched it lightly to Narcissa's chest, mentally noting her results. She proceeded to do the same at several places on her back, at her neck, and once to her forehead, giving the command to "take a deep breath" or "relax" every so often. "Go ahead and lie back."

Narcissa did as she said, and she could feel the warm glow of Avior's wand where she touched it to her abdomen, even through the fabric of her robes. Here she lingered the longest, taking the most care with where she placed her wand and how she moved it over her. After a moment, Narcissa cast a worried glance at Lucius. She couldn't help but get a bit nervous when the Healer didn't remove her wand as quickly as she had from the other locations she'd tested. Was something wrong with her already? Could Avior tell she would miscarry, or that child was unwell, even at this stage? The thought alone was enough to scare her, yet she didn't dare speak it aloud, not yet.

Lucius, meanwhile, attempted to remain impassive. If his wife was going to be worried about it, he couldn't allow himself to do the same, lest she not have someone to turn to for confidence when she needed it. It was one of the many regards in which they were very similar.

After several more excruciating moments, she extinguished the light from her wand and returned it to its place in her robes. "I'm happy to say you look wonderful all around, Mrs. Malfoy."

She breathed a sigh of relief and sat up once more. "You don't know how pleased I am to hear it. I didn't exactly remember it taking so long the last time, and I couldn't help but wonder…"

"Only natural you didn't remember," she explained. "With a mother at an advanced age for childbearing, we try to take extra care with such things due to the increased risks involved with the pregnancy…"

The relief she felt melted away. Bringing that up was an inevitability. "Madame Avior, I…" Narcissa stopped herself, suddenly acutely aware that both the Healer's and, perhaps more importantly, Lucius's eyes were on her. "Nothing would prevent me from wanting to have this baby, but… Exactly how great are the risks we're facing now?"

She frowned. It was never an easy subject to discuss, whether she was the one to bring it up first, as she usually had to be, or her patient. "The risk of a miscarriage at your age, Mrs. Malfoy, is around thirty-five percent, and the chance of a stillbirth is around one in one hundred and twenty. I don't want you to expect that that will be what happens, certainly not. However…I can say it would be unwise not to at least consider the less likely possibility, and… well, to prepare for the worst, just in case."

Narcissa said nothing, lost in thought. She had realized there was a greater chance, yes, that she would not be able to carry Lucius's child to term, but hearing those numbers and having him next to her through it...The possibility was wholly more real and that much more terrifying to her now than ever. Unconsciously, she touched a hand to her belly. There was a thirty-five percent chance that the child growing there now would be gone before her first trimester had run its course. Were that to be the case, she doubted she would be able to conceive again, both physically and mentally…It was practically a miracle she was even pregnant _now_, was it not?

Lucius restrained himself from abandoning the pureblood ways he'd been taught and taking Narcissa in his arms right there. He knew she hated having such a margin of doubt; such a large, as she would describe it, uncertainty in something that had in a few short weeks come to mean the world to her. He wanted desperately to remind her that in both scenarios, the odds were very much in their favor and even if fate did turn against them, all hope for her having a child would not be lost.

"Also…" Narcissa's eyes snapped up to meet Avior's when she spoke again. "When your child is born, there… Well, it's difficult to say to a couple of your status especially, but due to your ages as well as your blood purity… There is a very small chance, perhaps just two percent or even less, that your son or daughter will not be able to do magic."

This was one thing Lucius was very surprised to hear, and it caught him more than a little off guard – but only momentarily. The idea that his – that _their_ – child could be a Squib, of all things, to him it was utterly ridiculous. "Oh no, you must be mistaken," he said with confidence. "No member of the Malfoy family, let alone my wife, could _ever_ give birth to a Squib."

"M-Mr. Malfoy, as I said, it's never easy to mention to wizards of your status… But even you must recognize that small chance, just in case… Just in case the unthinkable does happen this time. It would be only wise."

Lucius was ready to correct her again, for Narcissa's sake if nothing else. She had enough on her mind now, he thought, with her being told of the possibilities that her child wouldn't make it in the first place. She didn't need to hear in addition to that that it might have such a disability when it _did_ live. Narcissa, however, spoke before he had the opportunity.

"I must say, you've certainly given me… That is to say, us, plenty to think about today…Our child not being magical; that's something Lucius and I hadn't even considered…" It was obvious from her body language alone that the woman was very much ready to return to her manor and do nothing but just that.

"Then its fortunate your only business left here is to go down to get your blood tests done with the specialist Healers and check out," she said.

Narcissa stood, and Lucius followed suit. "Thank you Madame Avior, truly," Narcissa said.

"And again, it was a pleasure to meet you," Lucius added kindly. "I'll look forward to our next meeting."

"Of course, the pleasure was all mine." They nodded to one another as the Malfoys moved to leave. "Oh, and Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy?" she addressed them formally. "Everything's going to turn out just fine. You're strong people, the two of you!"

They gave her their thanks once more, and shut the door behind them as they left.

As was proper, little was said between them for the rest of their visit to the hospital, both very preoccupied with their own thoughts anyway. Narcissa finished with her tests, was promised results within a week, and checked out, scheduling her next appointment for the beginning of February. They rode the elevator, once again alone but this time with much fewer words between them, to the first floor and repeated their trip through the Floo network exactly as they had arriving there.

"Lucius, I-I think I'm going to spend some time in the library or some such for awhile…" she said, shrugging off her traveling cloak when she emerged from the fireplace.

"Alone? Cissa, are you sure…?" he asked with some trepidation. Any other time it would have likely been Narcissa suggesting they talk about things right then and there; it was Lucius that so often first preferred his time alone. Given everything that they'd been told, he couldn't help but worry about her, and he found himself even desiring to have that conversation with her.

"Just for now, if that's all right. I think that's what I need right now."

He hesitated a bit, unsure of whether to persist at first. Yes, he had matters that required his own attention that he would be happy to get back to, but what she faced now was something that was essentially very foreign to her, and she wasn't the only one who had a great many thoughts and feelings to sort through. "…All right, but if you reconsider..."

"I'll come find you." It was a promise; he could see that much in her eyes.

They held one another's gaze for a single moment longer than necessary, communicating in that one look alone the hope that the other might be able to comprehend what they were feeling, and the understanding that everything would without a doubt be said, it may just take a little bit of time to become comfortable enough to say it.

With this in place, Narcissa gave a small smile, and left the room alone.

Narcissa slowly lifted her head from pillows on the couch in her study. One look towards the window told her the sun had set, likely quite awhile ago, based on how very refreshed she felt as she awoke, and a glance at the clock on the wall confirmed it. In the time she had spent alone that day, she had read, she had dwelled upon her thoughts, imagining how any number of scenarios regarding her conversation with Lucius and regarding her child would play out, she had written, and she had, of course, slept. Finally, in her head, everything felt normal for her. The realization gave her a warm, pleasant feeling. A half-day of rest was all that was necessary to achieve it, and with any luck, the same would be true for Lucius.

She adjusted her robes and ran a hand through her blonde and brunette locks as she stood up. _Of __course_, she reminded herself, _Lucius __is __probably __already __asleep __by __now_. She lit her wand when she entered the darkened hall, the only other lights currently illuminating it being the ones they always kept on during the nights. She made her way to their bedroom, where she was surprised to find that the bed was made just as perfectly as it had been earlier that day. Perhaps he had fallen asleep in the same way she had, she thought. Still, even if she couldn't have her discussion with him just then, she would at least have him come to bed with her.

She proceeded downstairs and down the main hall on her way to his own private study, the one place that in the twenty some years they had been together she knew she could always find him when he didn't wish to be bothered. As she neared the room, she could see a faint light coming from the door that had been left slightly ajar. She did her utmost to step silently, hoping she wouldn't disturb him with the creaking of the old manor floors.

Narcissa pushed the door open quietly, fully expecting to find her husband lying back in one of the leather chairs he kept there or perhaps with his head resting upon his desk, having fallen asleep hours prior. Instead, she was greeted by the sight of his chair turned partially away from the door, Lucius himself very much awake and sitting slightly hunched over. Upon further inspection, on his desk, she noticed, was a whiskey bottle and accompanying glass.

A wave of worry mixed with dread rushed over her. He hadn't been up so late alone in months_,_and he had promised her just as long ago that he'd never touch a glass of alcohol again without her permission.

"Lucius…?" she whispered.

He gasped and swiftly turned his head in her direction. "Cissa…! J-just what do you think you're doing here…?" She had startled him, and he had no time to regain his composure.

"What is this…?What's going on?" Her tone was not angry, nor even disappointed – just frightened for him.

"Cissa, I…"

She approached him with some apprehension, and as she did she observed his left sleeve rolled up to bear his Dark Mark and his wand grasped tightly his right hand. After a moment of incomprehension, the realization of what she was seeing hit her hard. "Lucius!" She rushed to him and clamped a hand down upon his arm. He tried immediately to pull away from her, but she refused to let him. "Lucius, y-you weren't…You _wouldn__'__t_…" She had to have the wrong idea; there simply wasn't any other way. She looked from the mark, covered mostly by her own hand, back to him, pleading for him to tell her she was wrong.

He averted his eyes and refused to answer her.

That alone served as all the confirmation she needed. She knelt down next to him, refusing to move her hand as she did so.

"Lucius…why? Why would you want to…?" Her voice was a mere whisper that trailed into silence, unable to bring herself to ask the question.

"Because I've been blinded by your damned optimism long enough!" he said with unintended force.

Ever since the night he had spoken to Draco privately, the questions the boy had asked him never entirely left his mind. They gnawed at him in the time he spent alone, and each time they came to the forefront of his thoughts, his faith in what Narcissa had told him regarding the Dark Mark; that it would fade and eventually disappear in the months or years that followed, that it would be erased from he and Draco both, waned. Though a difficult conclusion to come to, he had realized that all it would take was one simple spell. A single spell and the last thing that marked him as a Death Eater could be gone for good… The Dark Mark would erupt, and pain him for the last time…

She could smell the alcohol on his breath, and yet she still somehow doubted what he was feeling had been influenced by it much at all. Ignoring her first instinct to be hurt by his words, she did her utmost to appear as if it didn't faze her.

"But I thought we were in agreement about all of that…"

"And we were, until some days ago when I was awakened to how foolish you- No, how foolish_I_ was for even thinking this damn thing would ever leave us."

Narcissa grimaced, but continued. She was sure his actions were his own way of attempting to destroy the Lucius he had been and who he was now so ashamed of; Lucius Malfoy the Death Eater, and yet it hurt her to see that despite that, his attempts were only serving to remind her of that man through his shouting and scorn. "When did you start feeling like this, and why didn't you tell me…?" she asked quietly. If nothing else, she realized, she had to get him to talk to her, if only to prolong what may have been the inevitable.

"Ever since I spoke to Draco," he said, still refusing to look at her. "And I didn't say a word of it to you because I knew _this_ would happen if I did. You'd try and fail to change my mind, and that was not something I wished to deal with."

Lucius mentally cursed himself. He hadn't meant to raise his voice with her, nor had he meant to say the things he knew had hurt her. He felt humiliated, though he could tell by her voice alone that she held none of it against him. Still, he couldn't yield to her.

"Draco is just a boy! Whatever he said, he simply doesn't _know_-"

"He does know, Narcissa. He knows better than you possibly can, because he was one of them, just as I was. It's something in us…I can tell, and Draco clearly can as well, that the Dark Mark is never going to fade away entirely."

That much of what she was hearing, at least, was hard to argue with. It was just as she could not expect Lucius to ever truly know what it was to be left utterly alone in the cold castle they had called a home, or to see his family be taken from him one by one by the Dark Lord they worshipped. It was wounds like these that were the hardest to communicate for everyone.

"Even if that's true…Even if it doesn't go away as I truly do believe it will…" she said, "Why? Why do feel you have to do this, taking these extreme measures, instead of living as you have been? We've been happy, Lucius, with or without the Dark Mark. I know you're not the person you used to be anymore, and I love you regardless. Is that not enough…?"

That was it. She didn't seem to realize that his actions were not, for once, in regards to herself, or even to Draco, and deep inside himself he knew that more than anything, he simply wanted her to understand to the best of her ability what it was he was feeling. This time his voice rose unabashedly and he spoke with conviction, turning to face her. "I have to do it because if my child is to see a scar upon my arm, I will make damn sure it's not going to be this one!"

Narcissa opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came.

In her silence, Lucius continued. "And Narcissa, if it is to be a Squib, I will not allow this stain, this constant reminder of my own mistakes, to be any part of what it knows of our world!"

Narcissa could hardly find the words to say. He was thinking to harm himself for the sake of her unborn child… It was as if she had known, somehow, that that would be his reason, yet at the same time she hadn't expected it to be at all. Narcissa felt a certain heaviness, almost a physical pain, rise in her chest. She shouldn't have demanded to be alone. She should have talked to him and persuaded him into revealing these dreadful thoughts of his before he made up his mind to try and act upon them. She had been selfish, she thought.

"But what of Draco? Even if you damage yourself like this, won't his Dark Mark still be around? He's going to be a part of our baby's life too, you know! If not on yours, our second will just end up seeing it on his arm, won't it?"

"Draco will take precautions when he's around; I'll tell him to, and by the time this child is old enough to ask about it, Draco will have his own to worry about, I'm sure…"

"Then what about the books at Hogwarts, Lucius? Is that how you want our child to discover its parents associated with the darkest wizard ever to have lived, from a history book?"

"Have you not listened to me?" he shouted, distressed. "I don't want it to find out at all!"

"That's inevitable! Like it or not, those years we spent in service to Voldemort, they're part of who you are… They're part of who Draco is, and who I am, too, and it's not fair to our child to deny that part of us now just because we feel guilty or shameful about it!" Her eyes began to water, no matter how she willed against it.

"…N-Narcissa… I have every intention of going through with this, with or without you here…" He had to fight to say the words in light of hers, in spite of the fierce determination he felt. He had convinced himself so thoroughly of the legitimacy of his plans to destroy his own Dark Mark, and as a result the person he used to be, that he didn't _want _to give what she had said any consideration, though that was becoming increasingly difficult.

Suddenly, she became aware of her hands still tightly grasping his arm, and the implications, intended or not, of what he had told her. Still, she didn't let go. "Then do it. Even if I can't stop you," she started, her voice threatening to break and several tears rolling down her cheeks, "seeing you wanting to cause yourself harm for anything, especially something so unavoidable, something we…something we could get through together, just as we have every other misfortune forced upon us… My god, Lucius, it hurts." The feeling in her chest grew more intense the more she said and the more she implored him to listen to reason.

Desperately, he looked into her eyes, searching for something; something that could deter her words from taking root in him, or _anything_ that would serve as the final push he needed to stop him from what he was planning to do.

Seeing this in him, she stood once more. She calmly lifted her hand from his left forearm and stood directly in front of him as he continued to gaze up at her. "Please," she murmured. "If not for me, then…" With purpose, she took his hand and pressed it to her abdomen. His eyes widened and his grasp on his wand loosened. With this, he couldn't withhold from her any longer. The wand fell from his hand; it's clattering to the floor the only sound to be heard in the room.

Narcissa felt as if some of the weight had been lifted from her. Slowly, she reached out to embrace him, though he didn't allow for his hand to entirely leave its position at her middle.

Lucius, unexpectedly overcome with exhaustion, lowered his head to rest upon her shoulder and nearly instantly felt comforted. Though he was unable to decide if he had been made a coward or if he had been a fool all along until Narcissa had shown up, he had found what he was looking for and he had found it in her. At that moment, that was all that mattered to him. He would apologize to her later, for everything, after he had awoken from the long rest he knew he needed.

"You deserve a good night's sleep, Lucius," she said softly. When he nodded, she pulled away from him and helped him to stand. He staggered slightly, in the first several steps he took and leaned upon her for support, but if it were due to the drinks he had or merely his own fatigue, he didn't know.

And as long as had Narcissa's strength to hold him steady, it didn't matter.


	6. Chapter 6

Lucius tied his robe loosely around his waist and descended the grand staircase. It had taken quite a bit of effort to simply make it out of bed, even after having slept in far later than he had intended. He had, after all, awoken to an incessant pounding in his head, and no amount of tossing and turning and covering his face with his pillows to block the light and sound could stop it. Goblin whiskey always did have a way of making him pay for it, no matter how much or how little he may have had. Still, he grimaced as his heavy footsteps sounded against the marble stairs. His hangover was hardly his first priority. He had disappointed Narcissa the night before, he had no doubt about that, and he had gained nothing from it: the Dark Mark was still very much a part of him and still visible upon his pale skin, and the pain that he had brought upon himself with all the time and thought he had given it, the pain he hoped the alcohol could dull, lingered just enough to remind him how easy it would be to truly fall back into his old ways. He was disgusted with himself for how he had acted, and was even embarrassed to see Narcissa so soon afterwards.

Lucius found his wife standing in the kitchen, supervising as the dishes washed on their own, and straightening up from the day before.

His eyes squinted from his temporary sensitivity to the light and activity around him. "Morning, love…" he said in an attempt at normalcy, hoping to gauge her attitude towards him after what had happened.

"I believe that's 'good afternoon' now, Lu," Narcissa replied softly. She immediately turned away from her cleaning up and took from the adjacent countertop a flask of a purple-blue liquid, still cold to the touch, and handed it to him. "Here. This should help your headache; it ought to take effect after just a few minutes."

He stared at it for a moment before accepting it from her. He knew he deserved the pain he was feeling after what he'd done and how he had treated her, and yet Narcissa had known he'd be suffering that morning and took the time to brew for him a potion to cure his ailment. As he had on more than a few past occasions, Lucius found himself hardly feeling worthy of such a kindness from her, and let that feeling serve to remind himself just how lucky he was. "…I don't know what I'd do without you, Cissa," he whispered.

"Oftentimes, I don't either." She smiled and placed a kiss at his jaw, the highest she could reach with Lucius standing at his full height.

He drained the flask quickly in hopes of avoiding as much of the taste as he could. No such remedy was ever particularly delectable, and he was aware from past experience that this one had an especially bitter flavor to it.

As Narcissa finished up her duties, Lucius felt the ache slowly begin to ebb away as promised, and he breathed a small sigh of relief. One of his predicaments was disappearing, at the very least. He leaned against an unused countertop and shut his eyes, waiting for the potion to work in its entirety. Fortunately for him, this also gave him time to contemplate what on Earth he could say to her. He refused to simply leave things as they had ended last night; doing so wouldn't truly resolve a thing regarding their child, his Dark Mark, or his drinking. Though he had no excuses to give for his behavior, the least he could do was offer her a much-deserved apology. The things he had felt the night before were the very things he hoped never to feel again once the war had ended; the despair, the particular fatigue that came with it, the loss of control. Had Narcissa not been there, he feared, he could very well have lost himself to it as he had before and for that he owed her his thanks as well.

"…I'm sorry," he said suddenly after some time, once his head had for the most part cleared. "Last night, I… I experienced a lapse in judgment. An incredible one, I know… but I really am sorry, Narcissa. I broke the promise I made to you and if I could redo it, I swear I would in a heartbeat."

Narcissa's work slowed to a stop and she bit her lip for a moment. Thoughts of what she would say in a situation such as this had lingered in her mind all morning while she let him rest and went about her day. She had wondered, too, if it would be in the end herself or Lucius who first broached the subject. It was a conversation she both wanted and needed to have, but he had taken her by surprise starting it so immediately there in the kitchen with her.

"You swore to me you'd stop drinking, too," she almost said on impulse alone, but the words never left her lips. To say that would be unfair to Lucius. He had been sober for months, and what he did have to drink he had with her permission and only ever in small amounts. Those sorts of habits were not easy to break. Narcissa winced, feeling guilty just having thought it and even a little worried with how close it had been to slipping out.

"…I can't hold one misstep against you. I'll admit, I was disappointed, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't still in some ways." She took a moment to not only allow her words to sink in, but to consider what she should say next. "But more than anything, I was scared. I don't know if it's just my hormones or some such, but the rush of fear I felt when I saw the glass and bottle next to you, it must have reminded me of… Of those times, and you weren't yourself then, Lucius. It would hurt terribly to see you in such a way again… It _did_ hurt terribly, just thinking of it."

Lucius grimaced at her admission. He'd known he'd caused her pain, but to hear it from her own lips, in her own voice, was something else entirely. "I don't intend to put either of us in that position again, I promise. I'm _not_ that person any longer, you're right, and I don't mean to be – not now and not ever." He would be even more ashamed, he realized, if his second child were one day to learn of its father's dependency on alcohol in the latter stages of the Second War, and how he struggled to break that addiction in the days that followed. It was the last part of his past he wished more than anything he could be rid of, for the sake of his family just as much as his own. "I recognize how close a brush I had with falling into my old ways again last night, Cissa, and looking back on it now…" He shook his head, silently reprimanding himself. "You deserve my thanks in addition to my apologies."

"Then you're forgiven and you're welcome," she said quickly. Narcissa took several steps toward her husband and gently held his hands in hers. "I'm just glad I was able to be there for you before you did anything foolish – and don't you try to tell me that one bit of what you were planning last night wasn't foolish."

He couldn't stop a small hint of a smile from showing through at this, and nor, it appeared, could she.

"I won't argue with you there."

"Look, Lucius, I know I can't understand everything you went through, but next time you feel that way, even a little, will you tell me? I can't bear to see you resort to drinking again, for any reason, but…" There was more Narcissa wished to say, but she stopped herself, her cheeks flushing pink.

Lucius waited patiently for her to continue, something Narcissa recognized in his silence thereafter.

"I just…It might be selfish, but I'd much rather it be _me_ that you feel you need than the alcohol," she confessed with some embarrassment. "I might not be able to make you forget the way it can, and I might not be able to make you numb to the pain you feel, but… I'd like to think I can still be of help, especially now that it affects more than just the two of us."

He squeezed her hands tight and shut his eyes for a time. Her words to him now were not dissimilar, he recalled, to the ones she spoke to him shortly after Voldemort's defeat, and the effect they had upon him was the same. "I'll tell you," he promised, "and you'll always be what I need above all else – I'm not always the best at showing it, but that's one thing you can always count on, without fail. You're what broke me of my vice before, Narcissa; I hope you never forget it."

"I won't," she said softly.

"And it will be our family that keeps me broken of it," he assured her. "What you said to me last night reminded me of that."

She nodded. "I trust you. And that's something one mistake could never change."

Though not a word of what she had told him was a lie, being completely honest with herself, had the circumstances been different, Narcissa wasn't sure she'd feel exactly the same way. However, in these months and forthcoming years after the war had ended, Narcissa knew as well as Lucius that they truly did need one another more than anything, and that time of need was no time to be blaming him for his shortcomings or his former vices. It was amnesty and sympathy that was required of both of them.

"Thank you," he said directly. "If I didn't have you, I… I'm fairly certain I'd be lost, and I'd certainly not be the man I am today."

"…If you ask me," she said, her voice growing quieter, "that's exactly what the Lucius I first fell in love with would say."

Simultaneously they let go of one another's hands, and Narcissa's arms found their way around Lucius's neck as his wrapped around her waist and their lips were soon touching. They shared a single, gentle, kiss that lasted many moments until, very naturally, they parted.

A short silence passed, the feeling of their kiss still lingering for both Malfoys. It served as a gesture of proof that Lucius was indeed a changed man, and one that was forgiven for acting the furthest thing from it. They'd move on from this, too, just as they did the rest of their former mistakes and faults.

"…Say, Cissa, do you think that maybe I could begin to make it up to you? The way I acted towards you before, I mean," he clarified.

"And just what do you have in mind for that, Lu?"

"If you'd like, I'd be honored to take you out to dinner this evening – and treat you every bit as you deserve to be, as I fear I've been failing to do in recent days. Perhaps there, or afterwards if you would be more comfortable, we can discuss what we meant to yesterday, as well…?"

"I think I'd like that very much. It's been much too long since you and I have gone out," she said, pleased with the suggestion, "and Merlin knows it does us both some good to get out of here every once in awhile."

Lucius gave his wholehearted agreement.

Narcissa found the day to pass by at a dreadfully slow pace leading up to her date with Lucius. She had precious little she had to take care of that particular day, and much of it she had finished hours before she needed to start getting ready for their evening. It was thanks to that, however, Narcissa was reminded of her younger days, when a single afternoon in Hogsmeade with Lucius was the highlight of her entire week. She'd spend hours debating what to wear, what to say, even how best to greet him. It brought a smile to her face to think of how far they had come, and yet how very similar they remained to their girlhood and boyhood selves of back then, before Dark Marks, before Voldemort, and even before Draco. She'd have to tell him later on, she thought; it was surely something he'd like to hear.

When at last it came time for her to dress for a night out, this time she had no trouble in deciding upon a favorite long red dress, which Lucius had always told her flattered her incredibly. She pinned up her long hair, leaving just the blonde to fall in soft curls over her shoulders, and chose from her large collection a bag just the size to carry her wand and other such necessities.

When Lucius laid eyes on her, he couldn't help but be impressed. "You look gorgeous, Cissy - that is to say, even more so than usual," he said with a casual grin. "Too gorgeous, in fact, to dirty such a fine outfit with the soot and grime of a _fireplace_…"

Narcissa laughed, exceedingly pleased to find him in a mood good enough to say such things, as if within hours things had returned to normal for the two of them. "Fine," she conceded, "but only side-along Apparition. I'm not doing it myself, I've told you."

Lucius silently delighted in this small victory. He could certainly wait until her second trimester to travel exclusively by Floo Powder.

They donned their warmest coats and, arm in arm, stepped outside the manor and into the snowy cold in preparation to Apparate.

"Ready?" Lucius asked.

Narcissa nodded, and clutched tightly to him. "Whenever you are."

A wave of Lucius's wand followed by a loud cracking sound transported them mere steps away from their chosen restaurant, one they had gone to often in the past. Her grip on his arm remained strong after they'd arrived, Narcissa having forgotten that not-so-pleasant sensation that came with side-along Apparition.

She did her best to shake it off as they entered the small yet elegant – and equally expensive - venue. Until they could be seated and alone, it was necessary for them to appear the paragon of a proper pureblood pair, as they were used to when in the public eye.

"Why, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy," a waiter greeted them with reverence, "what a pleasure it is to be serving the two of you! May I ask your seating preferences this evening?"

Narcissa and Lucius glanced at one another, not quite certain what to make of such treatment. It had been ages, since before Lucius's exile to Azkaban, that they'd been given such respect in any public place. "Something more private, if you've got it," Lucius answered with the slight degree of arrogance he always showed outside his home.

"Naturally, sir. Right this way."

They were lead to a table at the back of the restaurant, sectioned off somewhat for patrons with requests just such as theirs.

"Here you are, sir; madam." He set two menus down in front of them once they'd had time to sit and remove their coats. "Might I get you anything in particular to drink to begin with? We've got a fine selection of wines, newly imported."

"No," Lucius declined. "With Narcissa unable to drink now, I hardly think it fair to do so myself. We'll be fine," he said, gesturing to the decanter filled with water already present at their table.

"Of course, of course, my mistake," the waiter apologized, seemingly genuinely embarrassed. "Someone will be with you very soon to take your orders."

"Thank you," Narcissa said, politely dismissing the man. She casually looked through the menu, though she was not thinking of what she planned to order. "Lucius…" she addressed her husband. "Earlier today I noticed something…"

"Oh?"

"You and I have been through so much since our days at Hogwarts, and yet… I can still see in us now those children we used to be." She reached across the table for his hand, which he gladly gave. "The way I looked forward to this night reminded me so clearly of when I was seventeen and in my last year of school, looking forward to meeting you at Hogsmeade because I could no longer see you at school…"

At this, Lucius couldn't suppress his laughter.

"What?" Narcissa asked, taking a bit of offense. She didn't expect for him to find it amusing, of all things; in her mind those memories were purely romantic.

"No, no," he said, "As soon as you mentioned it, I could only think of that single weekend they cancelled that year, we were both so devastated."

. "Oh, yes, I marched straight to the Gryffindor common room and wouldn't leave until Sirius showed me a way out of the castle so I could meet with you regardless!"

"And if it had been anyone other than Slughorn to catch you wandering the castle so late on your way back in, I don't know they would've let you back into Hogsmeade at all that year!"

Now, she shared in his laughter. The memory was one she held onto fondly.

"I suppose that means it's true what they say," he said with a warm smile, "that some things really don't change."

When the staff came by to take their orders, neither had to give it much thought at all. What they ordered had been exactly the usual for them, those several years ago.

Once their food had arrived, Lucius made a particular request that their waiter not disturb them for some time. He needed Narcissa's thoughts on important matters regarding their son, he had told him, and it wouldn't do for them to be interrupted. Those words also served, he hoped, as a signal to Narcissa that should she be comfortable enough to do so, he was prepared to discuss their child and their future. Needless to say, the man complied with the request. As added insurance, however, when Narcissa made no objections, Lucius drew his wand. Very discreetly, he cast a silencing spell on the area around them to ensure they would not be heard.

"…Regarding our _son_?" Narcissa asked with an amused smile on her face in spite of the new direction their conversation was headed.

"You know I didn't mean it like that, Cissa; I needed a proper excuse not to be bothered. I could have been talking about Draco for all he knew."

"And by that do you mean to imply you would be fine if I have a daughter, then?"

"Absolutely I would." His voiced brimmed with confidence as if he had been waiting for her to ask.

"Even though no girl has been born into the Malfoy family for generations, and she couldn't carry on the family name?"

"Neither of those things matter so much to me anymore. We have a wonderful son to keep the Malfoy line alive, and in the past year alone we've broken more of our families' traditions than I can count."

"…I'm glad to hear it," she confessed.

"Why, are you perhaps hoping to have a daughter, Cissa…?"

"Oh no, it isn't that. I'm just relieved that I don't have to worry at all about our child's gender this time, if you truly don't have a preference."

"That was incredibly stressful for me as well," he agreed, recalling having the pressure of both his and Narcissa's parents on them to have a male heir when Narcissa did, at last, conceive. "No, I wouldn't dream of putting you through anything of the sort again. I assume you'll wait to find out the child's gender, though, as you did before?"

"I'd like to, yes, as long as it's all right with you. I'm afraid that if I don't, I might end up with expectations for it one way or the other, and that's never good to have of a child you haven't even met…However…" Narcissa lowered her eyes and Lucius felt as though he had an idea of what was coming. "Well, all of that only matters if I make it that far," she said candidly.

"That's…" Lucius learned just then that, though it was just as he'd thought, nothing could have legitimately prepared him for this conversation. "That is very true, Narcissa."

"What if I don't?" she asked, as straight-forward as could be. "And I don't want to hear that everything will be just fine, that isn't what I'm asking."

"Well, I…" Put on the spot in such a way, he had to take time to think about it. He grimaced, as if recalling a bad memory, and at that moment anything he wished to say suddenly felt impossible to put into words. "In all honestly… I don't think it's something I'd be prepared for right now, or _ever_, for that matter. Hell, Narcissa, even talking about it is difficult," he admitted, making sure to be careful in his choice of words. "If that were to happen, though… I wouldn't place any amount of blame on you, of course, and I'd be there for you no matter what if you needed me. Although in that situation, I feel that there is a possibility I might need you just as much," he confessed, attempting to make her understand without being too forward. There was no denying for him that he too would be affected if Narcissa didn't carry to term, due to both the loss of his child and witnessing the inevitable suffering he was sure Narcissa would feel, and he knew himself well enough to recognize that he was not always the most rational of men when distressed. He could very well, he thought, have that same desire he had felt at around this time one night prior, the desire to eliminate his pain through drink, and he couldn't begin to imagine how he would handle that in this case.

Narcissa fully comprehended his meaning. She was glad that he could admit the weakness he thought he may experience, something that had never been easy for him to do. "Thank you for being so honest," she said. "I'd always be there for you, too. Of course, I doubt just how much help I'd be in that situation…" she trailed off with a small, awkward laugh as her eyes darted away from his once more.

"You shouldn't worry yourself with that. You've saved me many a time before, after all, during, if I may say, much bleaker circumstances." He took up her hand once again in an attempt to reinforce his confidence in her.

"Also…" he continued tentatively, paying careful attention to Narcissa's reaction, "I want you to know that if you would wish it…That is to say, should this scenario come to pass…That I would be more than willing to try again."

She bit back the words she had planned to say and shut her eyes for a moment in silence. He had been so genuine and had sounded so hopeful; she almost didn't want to refute him.

Lucius, meanwhile, waited for her to say something – anything – with bated breath. He thought he may have overstepped his bounds; that he might have gotten too far ahead of himself in thinking such a thing.

"I appreciate that sentiment, Lucius, very much so," she said finally. "But I just don't think I could do it." A sudden wash of emotion came over her as soon as she let the words escape. They were so definitive they frightened her. It felt almost as if it had not been herself, but a complete stranger that had spoken them. She bit her lip and shook her head, her brows furrowed. "Mentally, I'd be a mess, I'm sure… My goodness, Lucius, I could prepare all I want but I would really have no idea… I'd be relying on you, too; I couldn't handle it alone…" Tears began to slide down her cheeks, and Narcissa was powerless to control them. "And physically…? Well, you remember how l-long it took us to conceive Draco, and that's when we were both y-young and intent on having children…" Much to her dismay, the tears kept coming the more she said and she could only try to hurriedly wipe them away. "I'm s-so sorry, Lucius, I thought this wouldn't happen, not here and not now… I hardly even understand why I'm crying like this, i-it's never been _this_ upsetting for me…"

Immediately and with efficiency, Lucius stood and pulled on his coat, and then helped his wife into hers. This was certainly not the first time she had cried like this; he recalled rather clearly how it had happened when she had been pregnant with Draco, and he understood she truly could not control it, now or then. "It's okay," he whispered. "I shouldn't have mentioned it."

Narcissa was embarrassed. She was embarrassed for allowing her tears to fall in public, and right in front of Lucius, no less, who she was sure would be made to look bad because of it along with her, and for not being able to control her hormonal outbursts in the first place, even at forty-three years old. She watched as he left more than enough Galleons to cover their meal and then some upon the table as she herself felt incredibly weak. If only she'd refused to talk about it over dinner and waited to arrive home instead, she thought, or even if he hadn't sounded so damn sincere, then maybe…

She kept her head down as she and Lucius quickly left the restaurant in hopes of keeping both her tears and her embarrassment hidden, ignoring anyone who attempted to speak to them. They locked arms, Lucius holding on tight to Narcissa in order to Apparate.

As soon as they stepped outside, they vanished together to Malfoy Manor.

And had only either Malfoy been just a little more observant, or had either of them dropped a napkin, or fork, or spoon, or had perhaps found one of the paintings near their table particularly interesting, maybe – just maybe – they would have noticed the small, acid green beetle with the distinctly spectacle-like markings around the eyes that had stayed particularly close by all evening.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/n**: It's been a long time.

And I think I ought to say, just for clarification, Dramione is not one of this fic's ships :)

* * *

><p>Narcissa clenched her hands into fists, very nearly shaking with equal parts rage and embarrassment. She looked instinctively out the manor window after the owl that had flown off just minutes before, as if it would be able to do something if only she were able to call it back to her. Shaking her head at the futility of the idea, she scanned the article over and over again. Still, she could not understand. She and Lucius were alone in the restaurant those few nights ago, and it should have been impossible to hear a word they were saying; Lucius had made sure of that. There simply wasn't any way for any of the people there that night to be the "anonymous tip" Rita Skeeter claimed that she had. The <em>Witch Weekly<em> article wasn't even particularly long, nor was it plastered across the magazine's cover, but the damage had been done: 'Malfoys Anticipate Miscarriage, Complications; Mrs. Malfoy Leaves Restaurant in Tears.' The latter part of the title she had fully expected, and even prepared for – after all, any patron of the restaurant could have told her that. The former, however, was another story.

Not a soul could have overheard them, and yet somehow, Skeeter had gotten the story that was more than invented facts and fabrications. Not even she could simply make up something that matched so closely what Narcissa and Lucius had discussed and publish it just days after the incident to go along with the report of their abrupt departure that evening. Narcissa bit her lip in anger, considering the only other remaining possibility. Her rational mind told her that Lucius had absolutely no motive to sell any story to the reporter, and she could remember his reaction to the first article she wrote about them after they had announced her pregnancy. He didn't _want_ to be making the news anymore, and he especially didn't want her to be in that kind of spotlight, as far as she knew. However, with no hard evidence in his favor and her heightened emotions getting the better of her, Narcissa had herself convinced enough to storm out of the room, magazine in hand, to locate her husband in the sitting room.

"Lucius!"

Her shout cut through the silence of the room, and the mix of emotions he heard in her voice forced a sigh from the man before she even entered. He wasn't sure he was ready for another outburst, not when her moods had been deteriorating ever since the incident.

"Lucius!" she shouted again when she arrived, and stood directly in front of the chair where he sat. "What do you—What on earth do you have to say about this?" She thrust the magazine under his nose, paying no heed to the _Daily Prophet_ he had been reading.

Despite her anger, Lucius did his best to remain calm. He had been very accommodating to her and her mood swings and the like in recent days and this was just yet another thing he would have to handle rationally; he couldn't lose his temper along with her. As much as he didn't like to admit it, he recognized that doing so became a more difficult task with each day that went by. Try as he may to tell himself he should have foreseen this after the things that had transpired, it didn't change the fact that each confrontation or disagreement they had continued to wear on his patience that much more.

"What is all of this now, Cissa?" He took it from her, under the scrutiny of her wide, furious eyes, and frowned as soon as he laid eyes on the title of the article. His frown turned into a scowl as he read it. "This is absolutely preposterous…! There is simply no way for her to get her hands on what we talked about, no way at all…"

"That's what I had thought, Lucius! But _clearly_, she did, and I'd like to know how!"

He was ready to indulge and share in just a bit her outrage at this, confused and put off by it himself, until the implications of her words and her tone hit him.

"Narcissa," he addressed her firmly, "you cannot possibly think that I had any hand in this…?"

"What else can I think? You and I were the only ones who had any knowledge of that conversation whatsoever, and I certainly don't have any desire to sabotage myself in the press!"

"And you suppose that I do…?" he asked, a bit too aggressively.

"I don't know what I ought to think! Not anymore, at least, not after this!"

Lucius paused for a moment, his annoyance at her outright ridiculous behavior rising. "Cissa, please, just take a moment to calm down, all right? You're being… Quite frankly, you're being uncharacteristically obscene, and I know—"

"Obscene? _I'm_ being obscene? Lucius, maybe – just maybe – if you were in my position you could understand what's really 'obscene' here!"

Was she somehow incapable of realizing that she was not the only one her condition and resulting moods affected? He hardly needed to be in her position to feel the stress and pressure that came with the pregnancy and many of its related issues. "If I were in your position," he retaliated immediately, hardly leaving any time for further thought, "I'm sure we would not be dealing with this…This _situation_ in the first place!" He finalized this outburst with a vague gesture towards her person, and he regretted it all as soon as the words left his mouth.

For Narcissa, at that moment time seemed to slow and a deep, impenetrable silence overcame her world. It felt to her as if she had been hit with more than just words. The tears that she had been holding back pricked at her eyes and the look of rage that had distorted her features transformed almost immediately to one of surprise and pain. She opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't say a thing. His words had hurt her more than Rita Skeeter's ever could.

Her eyes fixed upon his, she gave a small, nearly imperceptible shake of her head before turning her back and leaving him to be alone.

Without a hope of her turning back, Lucius sighed heavily and reclined back in his chair. He could hardly believe he let something so idiotic, so utterly stupid, slip like that. He tried to tell himself that this was but the most recent in a chain of the many ways he had disappointed her as of late, but he knew that this time it was a bit more than that. What he had said and how he had snapped at her… Lucius was ashamed. That damnable article alone dredged up in him, and even more so in her, to be sure, certain memories that neither wanted to think about at the time, and he had managed to find a way to make it even harder on her.

He wanted, of course, to run upstairs after her and offer her his sincerest apologies, but knew that would be a fool's errand – she would never accept them, not now, and she'd surely only lash out at him again if he tried. His hands covered his face as he exhaled a deep breath. Whatever he did, he could only hope it wouldn't be something to continue the downward spiral his interactions with her had been taking, for both of their sakes.

Narcissa, meanwhile, sat down at the desk in her own seldom-used study, her heart still pounding and her mind still racing. She withdrew from it a piece of parchment and wiped her eyes, not wishing for it to be ruined by her tears. It was only the late morning and already, in her mind, the day's events made everything else that had transpired between them recently, good and bad, pale in comparison. She simply couldn't understand what would prompt Lucius to say what he did, either to Skeeter or to herself. With a slow, deep breath, she took up a quill, dipped it in the pot of ink, and began to write.

_Dear Andromeda…_

-Later, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry-

Draco sat at a table towards the back of the library, books and papers piled high upon it. It seemed like just yesterday he returned from his holiday break, and yet already he had an exam in Charms. Across from him sat Astoria and Daphne Greengrass, both hard at work at their own assignments.

"Astoria," he said to the younger of the two, "Charms in your best subject; would you agree that—"

His inquiry was interrupted by unexpected approach of quite possibly the last student he thought he would see outside of his Head Boy duties: Hermione Granger. Her stride was swift and urgent, causing nearly every student to turn their heads as she passed.

"Malfoy," she addressed him.

"Yes…?" Conversation was always awkward between them on every brief occasion they had been forced to speak to one another after the war, and this was no exception.

"I'm sure you've already seen this." She laid before him a copy of _Witch Weekly_, turned to the article regarding his mother.

"And what of it?" he asked, immediately defensive. She was right, he had been shown the article over breakfast, though he didn't know what about it someone like Hermione Granger would find upsetting. It was odd enough already that she had arrived with such haste, let alone appear genuinely troubled by it.

She looked from Draco to the two girls. Three pairs of eyes met her own expectantly. "Come with me," she demanded of Draco suddenly.

"Wh-what? Why?"

"Just do it."

After some deliberation, he made the decision that he ought to go with her, if not just to see what she had to say, especially if it was in regards to his mother. He could always fill Astoria and Daphne in on what had happened when he returned. "…Fine," he agreed.

Hermione lead him several bookshelves away where she as sure no other students would be likely to overhear them.

"I can't believe her nerve!" Hermione exclaimed when they were alone, just loud enough to warrant a vicious glance from Madame Pince, who was busy shelving books nearby. "People are still hurting from the war, your family included I'm sure, and she's already going around causing trouble? It's as if she's forgotten that if it weren't for your mother, she – and both of us, no doubt- wouldn't even be here now!"

Draco made no objections to what she said (and was in fact impressed that she would give Narcissa that kind of credit) but failed to see her point. "And…?"

Hermione gave a short sigh and folded her arms. "_And_, Harry and Ron and I have stopped her before when she was harassing Harry in our fourth year." She decided to forego reminding Draco of his own involvement in bringing Rita her stories that year and continued. "I don't want to interfere with your family's business, and that's why I thought it better to ask before I did anything, but if putting a stop to Skeeter would help in any way, I'd be more than happy to try it."

He looked her straight on for a moment, trying to decode any ulterior motives he could. It wasn't like the Hermione he knew to offer him help in anything, let alone his pureblood family affairs. She met his gaze evenly, as if to prove she had nothing to hide; he could take her offer or leave it.

"Look," she said, "I'm not doing this for you. No one deserves to have such blatant falsities said about them, particularly not after they've been through what people like your mother have. And if I can put a stop to any of it, I'd certainly like to!"

Draco didn't have any particular desire to accept her help. His family had just been rebuilt after Voldemort's reign over them, after all; their burdens were their own to bear, and they could get through them together. However, the things Narcissa and Lucius both must have been feelings in response to this latest article coupled with the last one had been weighing on the boy. And Hermione did have a point – Narcissa did not deserve or ask for any of what she was getting.

At long last, he let out a short sigh. "Do what you want," he said, and swiftly swept past her on the way back to his table.

Hermione knew that was the closest to a "yes, thank you," she would ever get from Draco. She smiled as he left, despite his rude manner. Her meeting with Draco had gone better than she had hoped, and now, she had a bug to catch.


	8. Chapter 8

A cloaked figure stepped out of the carriage, pulled by two winged, black horse-like beasts. The woman the fur cloak concealed held the hood in place, so as not to allow the winter wind to reveal her face to any who may be lurking nearby. She handed the carriage driver several Galleons in payment for the journey, and patted the nearest Thestral, thanking it as well for its service. She looked from side to side, making sure no one else, Muggle or wizard, was there to see her. Despite her destination being surrounded only by gentle hills; the houses spaced quite apart, she had learned recently that one could never be too careful.

She knocked on the door of the small house before her, and a kindly woman with light brown hair soon appeared in the doorway.

"Cissy…" the woman addressed her visitor with a smile.

Though they had been exchanging letters for several months now, this marked the first time Narcissa and Andromeda had seen one another since the Great Hall after Voldemort's defeat – and that had only been in passing. Narcissa found it hard to speak. The war had clearly aged her older sister, but her compassionate smile and gentle voice was exactly the same as Narcissa remembered them.

"Come in, now, you must be freezing! I've got some tea on the stove. I'll go pour you a cup; it'll just be a moment. Please, make yourself at home."

Though a bit surprised at this enthusiastic greeting, Narcissa stepped almost shyly into the living room and shut the door behind her. She lowered the hood of her cloak and took in her surroundings. There was no magic at work here; it was most certainly the same size inside as it appeared on the outside. On the wall at the far right of the room was a fireplace, and she immediately noticed a good number of photos on the mantle, their frames without a speck of dust on them. She stepped closer to see them. From the photos, Ted and Nymphadora Tonks smiled and waved. Remus Lupin held a grinning baby boy. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny stood close, their arms linked. When she heard Andromeda's returning footsteps, Narcissa averted her eyes. She felt guilty just looking at these photos of the people her sister held dear, many of them now deceased, her husband and daughter among them, and it was all thanks to the wizard she and Lucius had supported for far too long. Narcissa's own problems, her very reason for visiting, suddenly seemed miniscule and petty in comparison.

"Here you are," she said, handing one teacup to Narcissa. "Have a seat."

Narcissa did as she was told and sat down on the sofa nearest the fire, her sister across from her, her own teacup in hand.

"A-Andromeda…" she managed to begin. Her eyes darted quickly to the photos and back again to her lap. "I'm sorry this is how we ended up meeting. Because of my—Er, because of these…circumstances."

She shook her head. "Nonsense. What kind of person would I be if I wasn't there for my baby sister when she needed me?"

Narcissa kept her head down and bit her lip. If she had had any tears left to cry after the previous day, she was certain they would have begun to fall as soon as the word's left her sister's lips. She herself had hardly said a word in Andromeda's defense so many years ago.

"It's good to see you again, Cissy," she assured her, "circumstances be damned."

Narcissa's gaze flickered up at this, where Andromeda's infinitely patient one was waiting to catch it. There was no going back now, and Narcissa resigned herself to that fact. "…It's good to see you too, Dromeda. Truly."

A small silence passed, with Narcissa unsure of what to say and Andromeda giving her a moment to gather her thoughts. She knew that as soon as she started speaking, the words would come like a torrential rain. They wouldn't stop until she'd told Andromeda absolutely everything, about Lucius, about Rita, about her own related fears.

"You don't need to try and skirt around it," Andromeda said with a small chuckle. "Tell me what you said you couldn't on paper."

Another beat of silence. And then Narcissa could no longer hold back. "Andromeda, I don't know what to do," she said desperately. "Lucius, and the paper and the articles in the magazines –I don't even know if you've seen- and-"

"Why don't you start from the beginning, Cissy? Just so I can understand a little better."

So start from the beginning she did, giving her sister every detail from Lucius's initial thoughts on raising another baby, to the ugly argument of the morning before.

"I haven't so much as seen him since then," she said sadly. "I don't think either of us even slept in our own bedroom last night, for fear the other would be there. I didn't, at least, and knowing Lucius, he… Oh, Dromeda, I was an idiot. He and I both were. I wish I could take it all back! I don't know what I'd do if he… If he did something regrettable because of what happened." If he started drinking again like he did when he was so upset before, she wanted to say, but feared that if the words left her mouth they would somehow come to pass.

Andromeda sipped her tea quietly. "That's certainly quite a lot to deal with, particularly in such a small amount of time," she agreed. "And I must say I'm curious as to how Rita might've gotten her hands on that information as well."

Narcissa fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat.

"But I'm almost certain it wasn't Lucius's fault, Cissy, not this time. I may not know him as you do, but if what you've told me in your letters and what little I've seen of the two of you over the years, I do know that he loves you."

"I-I know that, I—"

"And I would hope," she continued without regard for the interruption, "that because he loves you he might give a bit of extra thought before turning to the bottle again," she said, understanding and voicing what Narcissa had wished she was brave enough to. "I'm not saying he will or won't, but I'd bet you anything he wants you to forgive him for what he said just as much as you want his forgiveness, Cissy, and I think he knows turning to his firewhiskey isn't the way to achieve that."

She paused a moment, letting her words sink in.

"What you need to do is talk to him. Right now, that's absolutely the most important thing. Believe me, I'm no stranger to arguments; it happened to Ted and me as well, at times, and we always made it through. Please don't let this drive you apart any more than it already has. Neither of you deserves that, especially not when you're pregnant, of all times; when you should be able to have one another to rely on for support."

"And…If he's not interested in speaking with me just yet…?"

"I would hope that's not the case! He does, after all, owe you an apology as well. If he does decide to continue acting like a child and refuse, he can at least listen. Tell him what you need him to hear."

Narcissa looked doubtful still.

Andromeda gave a small sigh. "As I said, I may not know him, but I think I know his type. I'm going to venture a guess and say he tries to solve most everything on his own, feels weak accepting help, and doesn't like acknowledging his problems for what they are?"

The younger woman couldn't help but smile a little. Andromeda was spot on. "That sounds like him, all right."

"And that, my dear, is why you need to take the initiative. If you don't, Merlin only knows how long this'll go on!"

Narcissa nodded. "…I guess deep down I already knew that's what had to be done," she said quietly, embarrassed now, "though I didn't really want to think about doing it just yet. A-and on top of that I had to go and bother you about it when you've surely got enough to deal with…"

"Sometimes it helps to hear it from someone else. Besides, I w-"

The sound of a child crying drew their attention abruptly from the conversation.

Andromeda looked at her sister apologetically. "Little Teddy," she explained. "He was napping so quietly; I'm sorry I have to tend to him now." She shot her a glance, as if to remind her what she had to look forward to.

"A-Andromeda…!" Narcissa called before her sister disappeared from sight down the hall. "Do you think I could…Meet him, perhaps? Your grandson?"

"Certainly, Cissy. Right when I can calm him down," she said, smiling softly at her sister's request. Just a few months ago she never would have imagined, even in her wildest dreams, that Narcissa would want see, let alone meet, her blood traitor elder sister's 'half-breed grandson,' as the former Narcissa would have likely referred to him.

Andromeda returned some time later with a slightly chubby little boy in her arms, his hair a bright, shocking purple. "I'm afraid he gravitates towards the same hair colors as his mother did, even at this age!" she said with a laugh. This time, she sat next to Narcissa, situating Teddy on her lap.

"I don't know, I think it suits him," she affirmed. "At least, it suits those bright eyes of his!"

This elicited a laugh from the child, much to Narcissa's delight. "And this, my dear," Andromeda said, addressing him, "is your ever-charming Aunt Narcissa. Aunt Narcissa, meet Theodore Lupin."

"It's a pleasure. May I…?" she asked, looking up at Andromeda. Wordlessly, she handed him to Narcissa to hold.

She smiled at him, as the little one met her eyes. When she had first gotten word that Andromeda had become a grandmother, she had never thought she'd see the day when she'd get to meet the boy herself. She wasn't even sure she'd _want_ to meet him then.

As Narcissa spoke to the boy, promising to be the best Auntie a descendant of the Black family had ever had, among other kind words, Andromeda looked on quietly. Her sister truly was a natural fit as a mother, she thought, and the more she saw the more she was convinced. Though she couldn't speak for Lucius and his part as a father, she knew for certain their child would, at the very least, be shown nothing but love at Malfoy Manor.

"Now I'm sure Grandma's getting a bit lonely without a man like you in her arms," Narcissa said to Teddy after a bit, gently giving him back to Andromeda who smiled at her sister's humor.

"As I was saying before…" she started, her tone taking on its former seriousness. "I know it's never easy, I really do, but it's no less difficult for him. And let's face it –You're typically the stronger of the two of you when it comes to this sort of thing, aren't you?"

"…In general, I suppose."

"Then that's another reason why I think it needs to be you that take the initiative here. It might lead to fewer complications, no?"

Thinking back to their previous disagreements, she realized Andromeda was right. "Yes, that's probably so."

"Cissy, please write me once you speak to him. I'll be worried for you two until you do," she said with a small smile.

"I will," Narcissa promised.

"And do keep me updated as well, all right?"

"I will," she agreed again. She bit her lip as she had when their conversation began, her eyes leaving Andromeda's momentarily. Her mind was awash with all the things she wanted to say to the other woman, so many things she had no idea how to say or even where to begin. She wanted to apologize for all the years she spent allowing her status in society to take precedence over her family; offer her condolences for the loss of her husband and daughter in the war; ask if Andromeda still held any contempt for her and everything she'd done. Narcissa shook her head and did her best to look positive. "I…" she began, stealing one last glance at the array of photos on the fireplace mantle. "I should be on my way."

"Are you sure? If you've got something more to say, I'll gladly listen, Narcissa." "…Y-yes, I'm sure. I've taken enough of your time, and the sooner I talk to Lucius the better."

Andromeda looked at her sister. Ever since they were small, Narcissa was unable to lie to her, and she now saw that that had not changed a bit in the twenty-five or so years they'd been apart. She wouldn't push it, however – Narcissa had quite enough to deal with for the time being, and anything she wished to share, she would surely share when she was ready. "In that case, it's been an absolutely pleasure to see you, Narcissa," she said as she stood.

"You too, Andromeda, truly. And you as well, of course, Teddy," she said with a smile, addressing the child her sister held who returned the gesture.

"Maybe we could do it again sometime; meet up like this…?"

"Absolutely. And under better circumstances, I hope." Narcissa moved towards the door, adjusting her cloak. "But I really have to thank you again, for all of this. I don't know what I'd have done if I didn't have someone like you to talk to."

"I'll always be here for you when you need me," she assured her.

"…And I for you."

They said their final goodbyes, and Narcissa exited into the cold to summon the carriage that brought her.

Meanwhile, The Leaky Cauldron

Lucius sat down at the bar with a sigh. After having not spoken to Narcissa for a day, he couldn't stand simply staying at the manor spending his time and thoughts regretting what he said to her. He had to do something, go somewhere to try and get himself to stop thinking about it.

"Mr. Malfoy! It sure has been awhile since I've seen you around here," the bartender on duty mused. "What'll it be today?"

"Just a fi—" he paused before he could finish the thought. His goal was to find a way to apologize to Narcissa, not to hurt her again by coming home a mess. Just one, though… A single glass would surely be fine, given the circumstances, wouldn't it? Not even Narcissa could possibly fault him for that, could she? "Firewhiskey," he said, attempting to put on an air of confidence.

The bartender nodded and couldn't help but smirk as he prepared Lucius's usual beverage of choice from when he'd frequented the pub in the years past. Mr. Malfoy was nothing if not consistent.

Lucius sipped his drink as he found himself going over the incident of yesterday morning once more. Though he wouldn't say Narcissa wasn't being ridiculous with her claims, that was indeed her only real crime. He was sure that, had he not lost his own temper, he would've simply given her an hour or two to calm down and they would've been able to talk about it rationally and reconcile easily. Though a good number of them came to mind, Lucius refused to give himself an excuse.

As he ruminated, he felt a strangely familiar presence take shape on his left as it approached the bar.

"Lucius, my boy!" the jovial voice exclaimed. "I thought that was you! What a surprise to see you here!"

"Horace," Lucius acknowledged his former professor. "Shouldn't you be teaching right now…?"

"Oh, I've just got the next two hours or so free is all. You, on the other hand…" Slughorn made a show of leaning back to examine the empty seat on Lucius's other side. "Your lovely wife isn't with you today? What, did she leave you here to do some shopping for the little one?" he said with a chuckle.

"If only that were the case," he said with a shake of his head.

Slughorn needed only to hear the tone of Lucius's voice to understand immediately. "Tell me all about it," he exhorted. "Whatever it was, I can almost guarantee it's happened to me as well – years ago, maybe, but happened nonetheless!"

With a sigh, Lucius resigned himself. Evading Slughorn at this point would require an effort he wasn't sure he wanted to put in, and besides, perhaps just explaining what had happened to someone else would be enough to help him find a way to put it right, or if nothing else, out of mind.

And so, he drained his glass and relayed to the Professor his side of the story, starting with their public announcement and filling in background details as necessary. He did, of course, fail to mention several events such as the last time Narcissa had found him drinking. Though he trusted Slughorn, there was no reason for him to share every detail.

After hearing this, Horace motioned to the bartender for a round of firewhiskeys for the both of them. Lucius tried to object, but was stopped by the older man holding up a hand. "No, no, this one is on me," he said, assuming that to be the root of his protests. "You deserve it." He paused to savor a sip when he received his glass and Lucius's was refilled. "Though I myself am not a father, I've certainly heard tell – pregnant wives are never easy ones to deal with! Doubly so when you get caught in a series of events like yours, I'm sure."

"I don't know what I should do, to be quite honest. Apologize to her, obviously, but to do that when we're not exactly on speaking terms… Not to mention the fact that I think I ought to get an apology as well…!"

"And you most certainly should. It takes two to tango, after all! But you're her husband, my boy. It's your duty to take care of her, especially now, when she's expecting. That's what you signed on for those twenty-or-so years ago you made your vows."

Lucius sighed inwardly at this, taking a large drink.

"If taking care of her means confronting her about this, then I'd say its part of your commitment to her to do just that."

Lucius leaned against his head against his right hand, his drink in his left.

"Marriage isn't an easy occupation," Slughorn chuckled. "I'd say you've been quite blessed to have had such a smooth time of yours." When Lucius gave him a severely annoyed look, he continued. "Oh no, just think about it! Ever since your Hogwarts days, you and Narcissa rarely got into arguments and hardly ever let your misunderstandings get the better of you. That, my boy, is more than can be said for most."

He had a point, Lucius thought. The last time they'd been so scathing towards one another was last year – and the fact that war was being conducted in their very home played a very big role in that.

"All I'm saying is that Narcissa's a mess of hormones, and it'd just be right for you to make the first move in fixing this mess. And if she tries to do the same, be receptive. You owe it to the both of you."

"You make it sound easy, Horace," he said with a shake of his head and a small laugh of his own. He finished off his second glass of firewhiskey.

"You've suffered through worse. And besides, she surely wants everything to be back to normal just as much as you do."

He reluctantly nodded his agreement. He needed another refill.

"I'm sure everything will go just fine," the professor assured him with a pat on the back. "I, however, must be going – I ought to try and sneak back into the castle before our dear Headmistress knows I've strayed so far!"

He stood, placing enough gold on the table for both his drink and two for Lucius, motioning at the bartender to pour him one more glass. With a wink, he said a last farewell to Lucius, and left the bar.

Lucius, left on his own with much to think about, stared down at the glass in front of him. He'd be fine having just one more, and he didn't care to waste someone else's money, he reasoned. He'd simply stay at the Leaky Cauldron a bit longer than he'd planned and wait it out if he happened to feel any effects from it.

Lucius raised the glass to his lips once more.


End file.
